


Introducing Alexander

by isnonstop



Series: The Washingtons' Harem [1]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, BDSM, Dom/sub Play, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other, Parenthood, Polyamory, but ao3 doesn't allow tags that long, but there is no romantic/sexual relationship between the sisters, they are purely familial, they're all together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-02-19 02:17:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13113861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isnonstop/pseuds/isnonstop
Summary: “Do I need to call George?” Lafayette teased, raising an eyebrow with a smirk.“That’s not fair!” John whined, pouting. “You know I can’t lie to him!”“Exactly,” Lafayette chuckled. “Now, tell me. Or I’ll go get him!”“Fine,” John sighed. “There’s this guy…”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So... yeah. This idea wouldn't leave me alone. So here's the first story in this series.

“What’s got you in such a good mood, mon amour?” Lafayette asked, wrapping their arms around John’s waist where he was dancing around the kitchen.

“Oh, nothing,” John said, looking up and kissing Lafayette’s chin.

“Ah, ah, ah, don’t lie to me,” Lafayette turned John around, cupping his cheeks. “You’re in an uncommonly great mood. Now, what is it?”

“It’s nothing,” John insisted.

“Do I need to call George?” Lafayette teased, raising an eyebrow with a smirk.

“That’s not fair!” John whined, pouting. “You know I can’t lie to him!”

“Exactly,” Lafayette chuckled. “Now, tell me. Or I’ll go get him!”

“Fine,” John sighed. “There’s this guy…”

“Oh?” Lafayette smirked. “Do tell. Who is he? Where’d you meet him?”

“At work,” John said. “He comes into the library a lot. All I know is his name is Alexander.”

“Alexander,” Lafayette hummed. “What’s he like?”

“I honestly don’t know much about him, Laf,” John said, leaning up on tip-toes and kissing Lafayette gently.

“Your distraction technique is not going to work,” Lafayette whispered, pulling back and holding John’s head in place so he couldn’t chase their lips. “Tell me what you know.”

“No,” John said, trying to sound firm and failing under the weight of Lafayette’s gaze. 

“What’re you two talking about?” Martha asked, coming into the kitchen still wearing her robe. 

“John’s got a crush,” Lafayette said, releasing John and spinning around to grin at her. 

“Laf!” John blushed, ducking his head. Martha chuckled, walking over and pulling Lafayette in for a sweet kiss before moving to kiss John’s forehead. 

“You do,” Lafayette insisted, following Martha and trying to pull her in for another kiss. 

“Who is it?” Martha asked, granting Lafayette another couple kisses before turning to John. 

“No one,” John said. 

“A guy from the library,” Lafayette supplied. “Name’s Alexander.”

“Who’s Alexander?” Eliza asked, heading straight to the coffee machine as she entered the kitchen. “We getting another member?”

“Alexander is John’s new boyfriend,” Lafayette helpfully said. 

“Oh!” Eliza grinned, turning to John. “When do we get to meet him?”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” John said, blushing harder. 

“Not yet,” Lafayette teased, wrapping their arms around John and resting their chin on his shoulder. 

“Not ever,” John said, pouting. “He’s just a guy who comes into the library all the time. We barely talk. I only know his name is Alexander because of he’s constantly checking out books.”

“But you are attracted to him?” Martha asked, taking the mug of coffee from Eliza with a kiss for thanks.

“Yes,” John admitted, biting his lip and looking down at his feet.

“You know you can ask him out, right, John?” Martha said softly. John was the newest in their little family and was still getting used to the complicated dynamics of their polyamorous relationship. And if he still didn’t completely trust his place in their relationship, well that was something he didn’t bring up since he didn’t want them to know. (They knew)

“I know,” John said, looking up and smiling shyly. “I know.” 

“If you like him you should ask him out,” Eliza encouraged, sipping her coffee. 

“He’s not interested in me,” John shrugged, moving to pour himself a coffee. 

“How do you know, mon amour?” Lafayette asked, leaning against the counter next to Eliza. “Have you asked?”

“No, but-“

“Then you don’t know,” Martha said firmly. “Ask him out? What’s the worst that could happen? He says no and then you can move on.”

“Yeah, I guess,” John hummed, sipping his coffee. 

“Good morning,” George said, coming into the kitchen dressed in his suit for work. 

“George, guess what?” Lafayette bounced over, wrapping their arms around his neck and kissing him. 

“What, Lafayette?” George chuckled, reaching up to unwrap their arms from his neck so he could go give the others ‘good morning’ kisses as well. 

“John’s got a crush,” Lafayette said just as George was pulling John in for a kiss. John squeaked against George’s lips, pulling back and blushing. 

“Oh?” George said, hands still cupping John’s cheeks. “Is that so?”

“Yeah,” John whispered, looking down at his feet. 

“You should ask him out,” George said, pressing a kiss to John’s forehead. 

“Okay,” John whispered. 

“Good boy,” George whispered with a smile, giving John another kiss. 

“Seriously?” Lafayette exclaimed, throwing their hands up in mock annoyance. “We tell you to ask him out and nothing. But one word from George and you’re jumping to ask him out! You wound me, Jack.”

John rolled his eyes, letting Martha press a plate of toast into his hands.

———

John rolled the trolley down the aisle, humming softly to himself as he reshelved the books that had been returned in the past couple days. The library was empty, which wasn’t unusual for that time on a Tuesday, and John was happily enjoying having the place to himself. 

He looked up when the library door opened, glancing over to see Alexander walk in. He had his big backpack as usual and looked just as tired as he always did. But what surprised John was the presence of a small figure walking by his side, holding Alexander’s hand. John watched as Alexander led the kid over to a table, helping him sit down in the big chairs before crouching down and speaking softly to him. 

“Okay, daddy,” the little kid said, much too loudly for a library. Alexander immediately shushed him, looking around to see if he had disturbed anyone. John looked away when Alexander looked in his direction, pretending to focus on putting the books away. He glanced over again a moment later to watch Alexander pull out a colouring book from his backpack, giving it to the kid along with a container of crayons before sitting down and pulling out his own books. 

John watched the pair for a moment as they both silently focused on their own things. Eventually, he had to focus on his own work, turning his attention back to the books he had to organise. 

Once that was done, John returned to his desk, sitting down and turning to the computer. For a while all he managed to focus on his work, listening to the sound of crayon on paper and pages flipping. After a while, he grew bored of his work and decided to pull out his sketchbook since there was nothing pressing left to do. He was halfway through a sketch of George playing with the dogs when a little voice spoke up next to him.

“Who’s that?”

John looked up, finding the kid that had come in with Alexander standing beside his chair, looking at his sketchbook with interest. 

“That’s George. And his dogs,” John said, looking around and not finding Alexander at the table where he was meant to be. “Where’s Alexander?”

“Who?” The little kid frowned.

“Your dad,” John said, shutting his sketchbook.

“Oh! Daddy went to the bathroom,” the kid said with a shrug. “What’s your name?”

“I’m John,” John said, turning his chair so he was facing the kid better. “What’s your name?”

“My name is Philip!” He said, grinning. 

“Philip!” Alexander yelled, running over to the desk. “Philip, I told you to wait at the table.”

“I was bored,” Philip whined, pouting. 

“You can’t run around the library, Philip,” Alex placed his hands on his hips. “And you’re bothering John while he’s working.”

“He was just drawing,” Philip said with a shrug. 

“Still, come here, Philip,” Alex said, holding out a hand to the boy, 

“Fine,” Philip sighed, walking around the desk to return to Alexander’s side.

“I’m sorry about that,” Alexander said, turning his attention to John. 

“It’s fine,” John said, giving him a smile. 

“See, daddy? It’s fine,” Philip said, grinning cheekily up at Alexander. “John’s my friend now.”

“Oh?” Alexander raised an eyebrow, looking down at the boy. 

“Yup,” Philip nodded, his curls bouncing around his face. 

“Does John get a say in this at all?” Alexander asked, amusement clear in his eyes. 

“Nope,” Philip said, glancing over at John with a grin.

“I guess it’s a good thing I want to be your friend too then,” John said, returning Philip’s smile. 

“Awesome!” Philip exclaimed, bouncing a bit on his toes. “Daddy, if John is my friend can he come get ice cream with us? You promised that if I was good while you studied we could get ice cream on the way to Abuela’s house.”

“I’m sure John is busy, Philip,” Alexander said, resting a hand on his son’s shoulder. 

“Actually, I’m not,” John said, checking the time. “The library closes in an hour and I’m free after that if you don’t mind waiting until then.”

“Please, daddy?” Philip looked up at Alexander, eyes wide and begging. Alexander glanced over at John, who gave him a smile and a nod, before sighing.

“Fine, but you have to sit quietly for the next hour while I finish my paper and John finishes working,” Alexander said.

“I will, daddy, thank you!” Philip said, hugging Alexander tight before running back over to the table where his things were. 

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” Alexander said softly to John once Philip was across the room. “I can give him some excuse.”

“I want to,” John whispered honestly. “He’s a sweet kid. And who doesn’t like ice cream.”

“If you’re sure,” Alexander said, sounding a little uncertain. 

“I am,” John said, giving Alexander a reassuring smile. “I’ll let you know when it’s time to close up.”

“Thanks,” Alexander said, heading back over to his table.

—

“Hey,” Hercules said as John came into the living room, flopping down on the couch next to him. “You’re home late. Was work busy?”

“Nope,” John shifted to rest his head in Hercules lap. 

“Okay,” Hercules said, running his fingers through his hair. 

“You’re not going to ask why I was late?” John asked, closing his eyes. 

“Nope. Prying is Laf’s thing,” Hercules said softly, gently scratching John’s scalp. 

“I was out with Alexander,” John said softly.

“The library guy Laf said you have a crush on?” Hercules asked.

“Yeah,” John whispered. “I went to get ice cream with him and his son.”

“He has a son?”

“Yup,” John opened his eyes, looking up at Hercules. “Kid’s named Philip. Very sweet. Very smart.”

“Did you have fun?” Hercules asked, twirling the ends of John’s hair around his fingers.

“Yeah,” John sighed softly closing his eyes again. “But if he’s got a son he’s probably got no time for dating. So…”

“You don’t know that,” Hercules said gently. “You should still ask him out.”

“Maybe,” he shrugged, turning his head to press his face into Hercules’ stomach. They were silent for a while, happy to just sit and enjoy each other’s company. The feeling of Hercules’ fingers combing through his hair was starting to lull John to sleep when his phone buzzed, alerting him to a new text message. He sat up, pulling the phone from his pocket.

“Who’s it from?” Hercules asked, pulling John close so the smaller man could rest against his side. 

“Alexander,” John said, opening the message and smiling. “He’s thanking me for the ice cream. Apparently, Philip hasn’t shut up about it.”

“Seems like the kid likes you,” Hercules said, resting a hand on John’s stomach, fingers rubbing gentle patterns over his shirt. “That’s a good thing if you want to date his dad.”

John hummed, typing out a response to Alexander before locking his phone and resting his head on Hercules’ shoulder. “Where’s everyone else?”

“Angelica and George are at a work thing. Eliza, Peggy, and Martha are having girl’s night. Lafayette went to dinner with an old friend,” Hercules explained, slipping a hand under John’s shirt to trace patterns directly onto his skin. 

“So it’s just us tonight?” John whispered, tipping his head back slightly to look at him. 

“Yes,” Hercules smiled, pressing a kiss to John’s temple. “You got something in mind.”

“Maybe,” John smirked, a teasing glint in his eyes. 

“Oh?” Hercules smiled, fingers dipping under the edge of John’s jeans slightly. 

“We should go upstairs,” John whispered, turning to press a kiss to Hercules’ jaw. 

“Good plan,” Hercules said, standing up and scooping John into his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's very little Alex in this chapter but lots of Philip so...

John didn’t bother looking up when the door to the library opened. It was the middle of a school break so children had been in and out of the library all morning. Thankfully, he’d only had to remind a handful of them that this was a library and they needed to be quiet. He was only working a half day, so he only had another couple of hours before he could leave and by this point he'd given up on working, instead doodling in his sketchbook. 

“Hola, John!” 

John looked up, smiling at the sight of Philip standing on tip-toes to just barely manage to peer over the counter. It had been a month since he’d first met the boy and Philip's visits to the library were definitely highlights of his day. It was rare for Alexander to visit the library alone now and John had gotten used to having a little shadow as he reshelved and organised books. 

“Hello, Philip,” John chuckled. “Where’s your dad?”

“Outside,” Philip said, pointing to the door. “He’s on the phone.”

“Ah okay,” John nodded. “Enjoying your school break?”

“Nope,” Philip came around the side of the desk so he could see John better. “I miss school.”

“Really?” John laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever met a kid who missed school.”

“I love school,” Philip said, coming over to lean against the side of John’s chair. “I love learning and reading and writing. Daddy says I’m the cleverest kid in the world and one day I’m gonna blow everyone away.”

“I’m sure you will,” John agreed. “What do you want to be when you grow up, Philip?”

“I wanna be a lawyer!” Philip exclaimed, a little too loud. He blushed when he realised, giving John a sheepish smile, “sorry.”

“A lawyer huh?” John hummed. 

“Yeah,” Philip whispered. “Daddy’s studying to be a lawyer too. He’s gonna go to law school next year.”

“Your daddy must be very clever,” John said, glancing around the library to make sure things were still okay.

“He’s the cleverest!” Philip grinned. 

“Philip,” Alex said, leaning against the side of the librarian desk. “Are you bothering John while he’s working?” 

“No, daddy,” Philip looked up at him, smiling innocently. 

“Sure seems like it,” Alex raised an eyebrow. “But that doesn’t matter. We’ve got to go, Philip.”

“What? Why? No, we just got here,” Philip frowned. 

“Leo can’t cover my shift at work after all so I’ve got to go in and you’ve got to go to Abuela’s,” Alex said. 

“I don’t wanna go to Abuela’s!” Philip pouted. “I wanna stay with John!”

“John’s working,” Alexander crossed his arms. “And I’m sure he doesn’t want to spend his day looking after you.”

“Actually, I finish at one,” John said, looking between Philip and Alexander. “I don’t mind watching him this afternoon.”

“Really?” Philip beamed at him. “Please, daddy! Please, can I stay with John?”

Alexander looked conflicted, running a hand through his hair with a sigh. “Are you sure, John? You really don’t have to. I’m sure you have better things to do.”

“I really don’t,” John said. “All I’ve got to do this afternoon is take the dogs for a walk.”

“I love dogs!” Philip said, bouncing a bit on his toes. “I’ll be good, daddy. I promise!”

Alexander sighed again and nodded, “Okay, if you’re sure, John.”

“I am,” John nodded, smiling. 

“Awesome!” Philip exclaimed, running around the desk to hug Alexander tight. “Thank you, daddy!”

Alex crouched down, hugging him back. “You be good, Philip. If not John will take you straight to Abuela’s house and you won’t get dessert for a week.”

“I’ll be good,” he promised, squeezing Alex’s neck before pulling back. 

“Here’s your bag,” Alex said, taking the Spider-Man backpack off his shoulder and handing it to Philip. “Don’t lose it. It has your books and a snack.”

“Thanks,” Philip put it on his back, still smiling brightly at Alexander. “Have fun at work, daddy!”

“Thanks, mijo. Love you,” Alex ruffled his hair before turning to John. “Call me if anything happens. My shift ends at five. I’ll call you when I’m done to arrange somewhere to pick him up.”

“Alright," John said. "I'll call if anything goes wrong."

Alex nodded, checking his watch. “I’ve got to go. Thank you so much for this.”

“It’s no problem, Alexander, really,” John smiled. “We’ll have fun. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay,” Alex nodded, turning and leaning down to press a kiss to Philip’s forehead before leaving.

—

“Your house is so big!” Philip gasped, looking around with wide eyes. 

“It’s not technically my house,” John said, dropping his keys into the dish by the door. 

“Who’s house is it?” Philip asked, taking off his shoes and resting them next to John’s.

“Mine,” George said from the bottom of the steps. “John, who’s this?”

“Hey, George,” John said, glancing down at Philip as the boy ducked behind him to hide. “This is Philip. Alexander’s son. I thought you had to work today.”

“I took the afternoon off since I didn’t have any meetings,” George said,  smiling. “Hello, Philip. I’m George.”

“Is this really your house?” Philip asked, peaking out from behind John. 

“Yup,” George chuckled. “Well, mine and my wife’s.”

“Why does John live here then?” Philip asked, stepping out. George glanced at John who shook his head slightly, making George nod.

“Because the house is too big for just two people,” George explained. 

“Oh,” Philip said, nodding as if that made perfect sense. “John said you have dogs.”

“I do,” George nodded. “Do you want to meet them?”

“Yes please!” Philip nodded eagerly. 

“Come with me,” George said, waving down the hallway. Philip followed George, bouncing slightly with excitement.

“I love dogs,” Philip said. “But daddy said we can’t get one because dogs are expensive and daddy has to work lots or is in class.”

“Well, you can come play with our dogs whenever you’d like,” George said, opening the door to the back garden where the dogs were outside playing. 

“Really?” Philip looked up at George with wide eyes. 

“Yeah,” George said, whistling to call the dogs over. All three of them jumped up from where they were laying in the sun, running over to George happily. “This is Vulcan, Tipler, and Cornwallis.”

“Can I pet them?” Philip asked, watching the dogs eagerly as they sat obediently in front of George. 

“Of course, they’re very friendly,” George said, smiling and reaching out to pet Vulcan’s head gently. Philip stepped closer, holding out a hand to let the dogs sniff it like he’d seen on television. Tipler sniffed Philip’s hand, seemingly satisfied with what he found since he moved closer to Philip.

“Hello,” Philip said softly, petting Tipler’s head gently. “You’re very soft.”

John smiled, leaning against the porch door and taking out his phone to snap some pictures. Vulcan and Cornwallis sniffed at Philip, nudging his sides to try and get his attention. Philip laughed, trying to pet all three dogs at once.

“Do you want to play fetch with them?” George asked, going over to the box in the corner and grabbing a ball.

“Yes please!” Philip said, scratching behind Vulcan’s ears. 

“Here you go,” George held out the ball to him. “Best to play on the grass.”

“Thank you!” Philip took the ball, running down the steps onto the lawn. George went over to John, pulling the younger man to sit on the porch swing. 

“He seems like a sweet kid,” George commented, watching Philip throw the ball and laugh as all three dogs tried to get it. 

“He is,” John said, leaning into George’s side slightly. 

“Why’s he here with you?” George asked. 

“Alexander got called into work,” John explained. “He and Philip had just gotten to the library and Philip didn’t want to go to his Abuela’s. And I had the afternoon off so…”

“And you wanted to earn some brownie points with Alexander,” George said with a knowing smile.

“I like Philip too,” John said with a shrug. “He’s a great kid.”

“His mother not in the picture?” George asked, watching as Vulcan almost ran Philip over to return the ball to him. He almost called out to reprimand the dog but stopped at the sound of Philip’s delighted laughter. 

“Not from what I can tell,” John said, resting his head on George’s shoulder. “But Alexander hasn’t said anything. And neither has Philip.”

“Have you asked Alexander out yet?” George asked. 

“Not yet,” John said softly.

“You should, John,” George said, resting a hand on his knee. 

“I will,” John whispered. “Eventually.”

“Sooner rather than later,” George said, fixing John with a stern look. 

“Yes, sir,” John whispered, biting his lip. George smiled, glancing over to see that Philip was completely occupied with the dogs before placing a gentle kiss on John’s lips. John smiled, kissing him back gently.

“What time does Alexander finish work?” George asked pulling back and looking over to check on Philip.

“Five,” John said, leaning back against the swing. 

“Invite him over for dinner,” George said, standing. “I’m cooking.”

“George, I don’t-“

“John,” George turned to him, fixing him with a stern look. “Invite him to dinner.”

“Yes, sir,” John said, ducking his head.

“Good boy,” George leaned down and kissed the top of John’s head before heading inside. 

—

John answered the door, giving Alexander a smile. “Hey, Alexander. Thanks for coming. The car I sent was able to find you easily right?”

“Yeah,” Alex said, frowning a bit as he stepped inside. “Thanks.”

“You okay?” John asked, taking Alexander’s coat. 

“Just tired,” Alex said, looking around. “This is a nice place.”

“Thanks, it’s, ah, it’s not mine,” John gestured for Alex to follow him. “Philip is in the tv room.”

“Okay,” Alex said, holding his messenger bag tight to his chest as he followed John. The sound of Philip’s squeals of laughter echoing down the hall made him smile. “Has he been good?”

“He’s been great,” John said, glancing over at him. “Very well behaved and everyone loves him.”

“Everyone?” Alex frowned. 

“Oh, um, yeah,” John paused, turning to face Alexander. “I, ah, I’m in a polyamorous relationship and we all live here together.”

“Oh,” Alex nodded. “Okay.”

“Is that- is that a problem?” John asked, biting his lip.

“No no,” Alex said, shaking his head. “Not at all.” 

“Good,” John sighed, looking down at his feet. “Um, Alexander?”

“Yeah?”

“Would you like to go to dinner with me?”

“I thought we were having dinner?”

“Um, I mean, like, like on a date,” John whispered. 

“Oh!” Alex blushed, ducking his head as well. “Um, yeah. I’d like that.”

John looked up, smiling, “Great. Um, are you free Friday night?”

“Maybe,” Alex said. “I’d have to see if abuela can babysit. I’ll give her a call in a minute.”

“Okay,” John said, nodding. “Philip is just through here.” He opened the door to the tv room, smiling at the sight of Philip, Eliza, Lafayette, and Peggy sat on the floor playing a game of cards. 

“John!” Lafayette exclaimed. “John, little Philip is kicking all our butts. Come help us.”

“Daddy!” Philip jumped up at the sight of Alexander, running over and hugging him tightly. “Daddy, I missed you!”

“I missed you too, Philip,” Alexander said, crouching down to hug his son tight. “Did you have fun?”

“Yes!” Philip nodded. “I played with the dogs and painted with John and baked cookies with George and beat everyone at Go Fish!”

“Sounds like you had a good afternoon,” Alex smiled, brushing a curl from his face. 

“The best, daddy,” Philip beamed. “It woulda been better if you were here though.”

“Maybe next time,” Alex said softly. 

“George said I can come play with Vulcan and Tipler and Cornwallis whenever I want!” 

Alexander laughed, ruffling Philip’s hair, “If you’re good maybe we’ll come back again.”

“Thank you, daddy,” Philip hugged him again. “John said we’re staying for dinner.”

“We are,” Alex nodded. “But only if you promise to go to bed without a fight.”

“I promise, daddy,” Philip nodded. 

“Good boy,” Alex smiled. “Why don’t you go back to your game? I’m going to call Abuela.”

“Okay,” Philip kissed his cheek before running back over to sit down. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vulcan - foxhound  
> Tipler - Black and Tan Coonhounds  
> Cornwallis - Greyhound
> 
> Next chapter will be John and Alex's date...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Alexander!” John called, waving as he weaved through the people on the street to get to Alexander’s side. “Hey.”_
> 
> _“Hey,” Alex said, smiling as John reached him._
> 
> _“Shall we go inside?” John said, gesturing to the door of the restaurant._
> 
> _“Yeah sure,” Alex said._

“Daddy, you’re going on a date with John tonight, right?” Philip asked as they walked down the street to Abuela’s house.

“Yes, mijo,” Alex said, squeezing Philip’s hand. “You like John right?”

“Yes, daddy,” Philip nodded, swinging his and Alex’s hands back and forth. “And I like George and Martha and Eliza and Angelica and Peggy and Laf and Hercules. They’re all super nice.”

“They are,” Alex agreed softly, thinking back to the dinner earlier that week. 

_“Dinner’s ready,” George said, standing in the doorway of the tv room. After calling to see if Abuela could babysit on Friday (she could) Alexander joined in on the game of cards. He looked up when George spoke, biting his lip a bit nervously. “Oh, you must be Alexander. I’m George Washington.”_

_“I know who you are, sir,” Alexander said, standing and holding out a hand to shake. George smiled, shaking Alexander’s hand. “You’re the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the country.”_

_“That I am,” George nodded._

_“What’s a CEO?” Philip asked, jumping up and bouncing over to Alexander’s side._

_“It stands for Chief Executive Officer,” Alexander said, looking down at him. “Which means that Mr Washington is the person in charge of the whole company.”_

_“So you’re the boss?” Philip looked up at George._

_“Only at work,” George chuckled. “Here at home, Martha is definitely the boss.”_

_“That’s for sure,” Hercules laughed, standing and tossing the pack of cards onto the bookshelf._

_“But he does make a lovely right-hand man,” Martha said, stepping up behind George. “Hello, Alexander, dear, we’ve heard so much about you.”_

_“Hello, Mrs Washington,” Alexander said. “Thank you for having us to dinner.”_

_“Any time, dear,” she smiled, pressing a kiss to her husband’s cheek. “And please, call me Martha.”_

_“Martha is a doctor, daddy!” Philip said, tugging on Alex’s hand. “She’s a children doctor.”_

_“A paediatrician,” Alex said._

_“Yeah!” Philip grinned. “That! And Eliza’s gonna be a doctor too! And Hercules makes clothes! And Lafayette is a dancer!”_

_“Seems like you’ve learned a lot about everyone,” Alex said, smiling fondly. “You didn’t bother them with too many questions did you?”_

_“Non,” Lafayette said, going over to stand beside George. “Philip was perfectly lovely all afternoon.”_

_“I told you I’d be good, daddy,” Philip said, pouting up at Alexander._

_“I know you did, mijo,” Alex ruffled his hair. “But I’ve still got to check.”_

_“Philip is a very sweet boy,” Martha said with a smile._

_“See, daddy, I’m sweet,” Philip grinned. Alex laughed, scooping Philip up into his arms and tickling his sides. His squeals of laughter quickly filled the room, making all the adults smile._

_“Come, dinner will get cold,” George said, resting a hand on Martha’s back. “Let’s go eat.”_

“Daddy!” Philip tugged on Alex’s hand, sounding impatient. Alex looked down at him. “You’ve gotta ring the bell so Abuela knows we’re here and can buzz us in.”

“Sorry, mijo, I was thinking,” Alex said, pressing the button. 

“Musta been important,” Philip said, rocking forward onto the balls of his feet before falling back on his heels. “I called you a million times!”

“A million times, huh?” Alex chuckled as the lock clicked. Alex pulled open the door, holding it for Philip to go inside. Philip bounced inside, running up the stairs to the second floor where Abuela’s apartment was. He had already knocked on the door by the time Alexander got there, bouncing excitedly on his toes while he waited. 

“Daddy?” Philip asked, looking up at him as Alexander stopped by his side. 

“Yeah?” 

“Are you and John gonna get married?” Philip asked as the door opened. “Abuela!”

“Philip!” She smiled, laughing as he darted forward and hugged her tight. 

“Abuela, daddy’s going on a date!” Philip said, looking over his shoulder to grin at Alexander. 

“I’ve heard,” she said, turning her gaze to Alexander. 

“I won’t be late,” Alex said, handing her Philip’s bag. “We’re just going to dinner.”

“Don’t worry,” she said, patting his cheek gently. “You have fun. Philip can always stay the night.”

“I won’t be late,” Alexander repeated. “Besides Philip’s got a soccer game tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah!” Philip exclaimed, jumping up and down. “Abuela wanna come?”

“Sure,” she smiled, ruffling his hair. 

“Awesome!” Philip hugged her again tight. 

“I should get going,” Alexander said, resting a hand on Philip’s shoulder. “Be good, Philip. I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, daddy,” Philip turned and hugged him tightly. “Have fun!”

“Thanks, mijo,” Alex hugged him back. “Love you.”

“I love you too,” Philip said, face pressed into Alexander’s stomach. After a moment he pulled back and went inside, happily running off to the living room to play. 

“Have fun, Alexander,” Abuela said, smiling fondly. 

“Thanks,” he said, glancing over her shoulder to see Philip pulling toys out of the chest in the corner of the living room. “Call me if you need.”

“I will,” she promised. “Now, go.”

“Okay,” he said, shooting one last look at his son before leaving. 

———

_“So, Alexander,” Angelica leaned forward slightly, watching him across the table. “Where’re you from?”_

_“Unimportant,” Alex said, taking a small bite of his pasta._

_“Daddy’s from Nevis!” Philip helpfully supplied, frowning at Alexander. “Daddy, don’t be rude.”_ _Alexander shot Philip a betrayed look, ducking his head a bit as a blush coloured his cheeks._

_“I’m from Nevis,” Alex confirmed reluctantly. “But I’ve lived here since  I was thirteen.”_

_“Are you still in school?” Eliza asked, sipping her wine._

_“Yes,” Alex nodded. “My final year of undergrad.”_

_“What’re you studying?” Hercules asked._

_“English and Economics,” Alexander said, glancing over to check that Philip wasn’t having any trouble with his food._

_“Daddy’s the smartest person ever!” Philip said, alfredo sauce all over his face._

_“Is that so?” Martha chuckled, gently wiping off his face before Alexander could get the chance._

_“Yup!” Philip nodded, grinning up at her. “And he says I’m the cleverest little boy in the world and since he’s the smartest person ever it must be true!”_

_The adults laughed, amused, as Philip continued eating. He immediately got sauce all over his face again, making Alexander sigh fondly._

———

“Alexander!” John called, waving as he weaved through the people on the street to get to Alexander’s side. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Alex said, smiling as John reached him. 

“Shall we go inside?” John said, gesturing to the door of the restaurant. 

“Yeah sure,” Alex said, smiling as John held the door open for him. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” John said, following Alexander in and going over to the host station. “Hi, we’ve got a reservation. Under Laurens.”

The host checked the computer before giving John a smile, “Right this way, Mr Laurens.”

“After you,” John said to Alex, gesturing for him to go ahead and follow the host. Alex smiled, looking around the restaurant as they went over to the table. It was much nicer (and more expensive) than anywhere he would usually go. When John had told him where they were going Alexander had pointed his out to him; his concern was immediately dismissed ( _“I asked you out. It’s my treat.”_ ) and John sounded too hopeful on the phone for Alexander to argue. 

“So,” John said, smiling at Alexander once they were seated. “Philip said you’re going to law school next year.”

“That’s the plan,” Alexander said, opening the menu. He scanned it, trying to find the cheapest thing. 

“Order whatever,” John said, watching Alex with a knowing expression. “Don’t worry about the price, Alexander.”

“You work at a library, you can’t possibly have that much money,” Alex said, looking up.

“I have a trust fund,” John said with a shrug. “I don’t pay rent. Or really any bills other than my phone bill. And I’m a freelance journalist.”

“You write?” Alex looked surprised. 

“Yeah,” John nodded. 

“Anything I’ve read?” Alex asked, looking back down at the menu. 

“Possibly,” John shrugged. 

“What did you write most recently?” Alex asked, glancing up at John. 

John hummed thoughtfully, “I think the last published piece was about the poor governmental response to the crisis in Puerto Rico.”

“For the Times?”

“Yeah,” John nodded, looking up from his menu. “Did you read it?”

“Yes,” Alex nodded. “It was very well written.”

“Thanks,” John smiled, blushing a bit. 

“Are you ready to order?” Their waiter asked, appearing at the table. 

“I’m ready,” John nodded, glancing at Alex who nodded. “I’ll have the steak.”

“Me as well please,” Alexander said, glancing at John a bit nervously at ordering something so expensive only to have John smile brightly. 

“Anything to drink?”

“Just water for me,” Alex said, handing the waiter his menu. “Thanks.

“Sparkling water for me please,” John said, handing over his menu as well. “Thanks.”

The waiter smiled, leaving them alone to their conversation.

———

_“What do you say, Philip?” Alexander asked, bouncing the little boy in his arms slightly. They were standing in the doorway, about to leave since it was getting late._

_“Thank you for looking after me today. And for dinner. It was very yummy,” Philip said, head resting sleepily on Alexander’s shoulder._

_“You’re welcome,” George said, arm wrapped around Martha’s waist. The others were all crowded around in the doorway, smiles on everyone’s faces._

_“Come over again soon, Philip,” Martha smiled._

_“Okay,” Philip yawned, rubbing his eyes._

_“Thank you,” Alexander said, rubbing Philip’s back as he looked over the family._

_“Anytime, Alexander,” John said, leaning over Martha’s shoulder. “We loved having Philip over.” The others echoed the sentiment, all smiling and nodding._

_“Thanks,” Alex said, ducking his head a bit as the car they’d called for him pulled into the driveway._

_“I’ll see you tomorrow at the library?” John asked._

_“Yeah,” Alex said, shifting Philip in his arms slightly. “Thanks again.”_

_“Bye bye,” Philip said, waving sleepily as Alexander carried him to the car._

———

“Do you want dessert?” John asked as the waiter cleared away their empty plates. 

“I don’t think I could eat another bite,” Alex said with a content sigh, leaning back in his chair. “Plus I should be getting back before it’s too late. Philip has a soccer game tomorrow morning.”

“Okay,” John nodded, looking at the waiter with a smile. “Can we have the check please?”

“Of course, sir,” she said with a smile, taking away their plates. 

“Thanks,” John said, turning back to Alex with a smile as he pulled out his wallet. “Did you enjoy your steak?”

“It was delicious,” Alex said, drinking the last of his water as the waiter returned with their bill. John took it from her, not even bothering to look at the price before resting his card on the little tray. “Are you sure-“

“Yes,” John interrupted, handing the tray back to the waiter. “I invited you, I pay.”

“Fine,” Alex sighed. “But I pay next time.”

“Next time?” John raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, um, yeah, I mean,” Alex stuttered. “If you want there to be a next time.”

“Of course I do,” John smiled, reaching over to rest a hand on Alex’s. “I had lots of fun tonight. I’d love there to be a next time. And a million times after that.”

“Okay,” Alex smiled, turning his hand over to squeeze John’s. 

“Great,” John grinned, eyes bright with excitement. The waiter returned with his card and receipt, placing it on the table next to them. John smiled at her, grabbing it and slipping it back into his wallet. He pulled out a couple bills from his wallet, resting them down on the table as a tip before standing. “Can I walk you home?”

“It’s really far out of your way,” Alex said, standing as well and following John out of the restaurant. 

“I don’t care,” John shrugged, holding out a hand to him. Alexander gave a small shake of the head, smiling apologetically. John dropped his hand and gave him a soft smile. “Next time then.”

“Next time,” Alex said softly, slipping his hands into his pockets. 

“Tell Philip I said hi,” John said, pulling out his phone to order a car. 

“I will,” Alex said, giving John a smile. “I’ll call you soon. Bye, John.”

“Bye, Alex,” John said, giving a small wave as Alexander set off down the street.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Philip!” George called, heading towards the porch. “Do you want to come with me to take the dogs for a walk?”_
> 
> _“Yes please!” Philip nodded, spinning around to face George._
> 
> _“You’re going to go for a walk in soaking wet clothes?” Alexander laughed at him._
> 
> _“It’s hot, daddy,” Philip shrugged. “The water made me feel cool!”_
> 
> _“Solid logic,” Alex smiled fondly._

“Lemonade?” Martha asked, holding out a glass to Alexander. 

“Thanks,” Alex said, glancing over as he took the drink before quickly turning his gaze back to where Philip was chasing the dogs around the yard. Lafayette and Hercules were curled up together on the porch swing, whispering softly to each other as they looked over one of Hercules’ new designs. 

“Enjoying your summer vacation?” Martha asked, leaning against the porch railing next to Alex. 

“Not really much of a vacation,” Alex shrugged. “I’m working nearly constantly to save for law school.” He looked over at her with a grateful expression. “Thank you so much for all of you guys help with Philip. I always dread school holidays since I have to find things for him to do.”

“It’s truly no trouble, Alexander,” Martha rested a hand on his arm. “We love having him.”

“He loves being here,” Alex said, looking back at his son who had run directly into the path of the water George was using to spray the flower beds. 

“He’s a very sweet boy,” John said, coming out onto the porch and stepping up to Alexander’s other side. He rested a hand on Alex’s back, kissing his temple gently. Alexander smiled, turning to press a kiss to John’s lips. 

“Daddy!” Philip called from the garden, running towards the porch. He was completely soaked and had the biggest smile on his face that Alexander had ever seen. 

“Philip!” Alexander laughed, leaning over the railing a bit more as Philip came to stand right under it. 

“Daddy, George said that he would show me all the stars and planets and teach me how to navidate using them,” Philip said, bouncing a bit.

“Navigate,” Alexander corrected with a smile. “It’s pretty hard to see the stars right now, Pip.”

“We’d have to stay the night, daddy,” Philip rolled his eyes as if that was obvious. “Can we stay the night, daddy?”

“Philip, I don’t know,” Alexander said, biting his lip. He and John had been dating for five months and while John had spent the night at Alexander’s place, Alexander had never stayed here.

“Please, daddy!” Philip begged. 

“I have work in the morning, Philip,” Alexander sighed. “And it’s much closer to our apartment than here.”

“You can just leave early, daddy,” Philip said, staring up at him with pleading eyes. 

“You’d have to get up early too,” Alexander said, tapping his fingers on the railing. “You’re going to Abuela’s tomorrow.”

“Can’t I stay here?” Philip pouted. “I like it here!”

“You like it at Abuela’s too.”

“Yeah but there are dogs here. And a big yard!” Philip shrugged. “Please, can we stay the night, daddy? 

“Philip can stay with us tomorrow if he’d like,” Martha said, chuckling softly at the boy’s triumphant sound. “Lafayette will be around all morning. And Eliza and John will be here in the afternoon.”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that,” Alexander turned to her. “You’ve already had Philip over so much this month.”

“You’re not asking, mon ami,” Lafayette said, standing and coming over to them. “We’re offering. We love having little Philip and you around.”

Alexander looked conflicted, biting his lip. “We don’t have any clothes.”

“You can borrow something of mine,” John said, rubbing Alexander’s back. “And I think we’ve still got something that should fit Philip from that time Hercules’ nephew and niece visited.” John turned Alexander around to face him. “If you really don’t want to stay it’s okay, Alex. But don’t feel like you’re not welcome here. You’re more than welcome to stay whenever you want.”

Alexander said nothing for a moment, before nodding, “Okay.”

“Yay!” Philip exclaimed, jumping up and down with excitement. “Thank you, daddy!”

“You’re welcome, Pip,” Alex said, looking over at him and smiling. “But you have to be extra good tomorrow. And you’re going to Abuela’s on Friday like we planned.”

“Okay, daddy,” Philip nodded, looking over at the other grown-ups. “Do you wanna come to my soccer game on Saturday? Daddy said I can invite anyone I want.”

“We’d love to, Philip,” John said, smiling as he wrapped an arm around Alexander’s shoulders. 

“Awesome!” Philip beamed. “Afterwards we always get ice cream!”

“Sounds like fun,” Hercules smiled, arm wrapping Lafayette and pulling them into his chest. 

“Philip!” George called, heading towards the porch. “Do you want to come with me to take the dogs for a walk?”

“Yes please!” Philip nodded, spinning around to face George. 

“You’re going to go for a walk in soaking wet clothes?” Alexander laughed at him. 

“It’s hot, daddy,” Philip shrugged. “The water made me feel cool!”

“Solid logic,” Alex smiled fondly. “Be good for George.”

“I’m always good, daddy,” Philip said, crossing his arms. 

“Of course you are, mijo,” Alexander laughed, shaking his head fondly as George handed Philip the dogs’ leashes. 

———

Alexander jumped up from where he was sat at the counter talking with Martha and Angelica at the sound of Philip crying. He moved to the kitchen door quickly, stopping when Philip ran into his legs, sobbing. 

“Philip, mijo, what’s wrong?” Alex asked, crouching down and cupping Philip’s cheeks. Philip sobbed, wrapping his arms around Alex’s neck and hugging him tightly. 

“Philip!” John said, running down the hall from the direction Philip came. 

“John, what happened?” Alexander asked, standing up and holding Philip in his arms. 

“He saw me kiss Hercules,” John said softly, watching Philip worriedly. 

“Oh,” Alex said, rubbing Philip’s back. “Philip, darling, it’s okay.”

“S’not okay, daddy!” Philip sobbed. “He’s your boyfriend! You’re only supposed to kiss your boyfriend!”

“Hercules is John’s boyfriend too,” Alex said softly, running a hand through Philip’s hair. 

“What?” Philip pulled back slightly so he could look at Alex. 

“Let’s sit down, mijo,” Alex said, carrying him over to the kitchen counter. 

“Do you want a drink?” Martha asked, giving Philip a gentle smile. 

“Can I have some juice?” Philip asked, sniffling. 

“Sure, sweetheart,” Martha said, moving to the fridge. 

“Thank you,” Philip said, rubbing his eyes. 

“Mijo,” Alex, rested a hand on Philip’s shoulder. “You know how some people have a boyfriend and some have a girlfriend?”

“And some have a date mate,” Philip said, nodding. “Yes, daddy, you told me this.”

“Right yes,” Alex nodded. “Well, some people have more than one girlfriend or boyfriend or datemate or some of each. And when all the people involved talk about it and give consent - you remember what that means?” Philip nodded. “Good, right, when everyone gives consent for their partners to date other people it’s okay. And that’s called a polyamorous relationship.”

“So,” Philip scrunched up his brow, thinking, “John is dating you and Hercules and because you know and Hercules knows it’s okay?”

“Yes,” Alex nodded. “We all gave consent so John isn’t doing anything bad.”

“Is that why you all live here?” Philip said, looking around at all the adults. “Because you’re all in a, um, a-“

“Polyamorous,” Alex supplied gently.

“-polyamorous relationship?” Philip finished. 

“Yes,” John said, leaning against the counter behind where Alex was sitting. “We are.”

“Oh,” Philip looked down at his drink before shrugging. “Okay.”

“Any more questions?” Alexander asked.

“Are you gonna date all of them too?” Philip asked, his question making Alexander blush and duck his head.

“No, darling,” Alex said softly.

“Why not?” Philip asked.

“Yeah, Alexander, why not?” Angelica teased, raising an eyebrow. 

“I- um- well- ah-“ Alexander stuttered, looking at John with a bit of panic making everyone laugh. John smiled and pulled Alexander in for a kiss. 

———

“You start law school in a week,” John said softly, rolling onto his side to look at Alexander. For the past month, Alexander and Philip had been spending more and more time at the house, much to Philip’s never-ending joy. The boy loved having so many people around to give him attention; there was never a moment that he was without someone to play with. 

“I know,” Alex whispered, staring up at the ceiling of John’s bedroom. 

“Are you excited?” John whispered.

“Yeah,” Alex nodded slightly. 

“Nervous?”

“Yeah, but not because of school. I’m nervous about being able to pay for it all,” Alex whispered. “And Philip is growing so fast he’s going to need new clothes soon. And school supplies. And our rent.”

“Alex,” John propped himself up on his elbow. “You should move in here. Then you’d have one less thing to worry about.”

“John,” Alex sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” John asked.

“Because we’ve only been dating for six months,” Alex said softly.

“You can have your own room,” John said, watching Alexander as Alexander watched the ceiling. “We’ve got plenty.”

“And what if we break up?” Alexander looked over at him. “Then Philip and I will be without a home.”

“We’re not going to break up,” John whispered.

“You don’t know that,” Alex said softly. 

“I do,” John’s voice was confident. “And even if we do break up, we wouldn’t just toss you and Philip out on the street. Everyone loves you two too much for that.”

“I still don’t think its a good idea,” Alex turned his gaze back to the ceiling. 

“You don’t have to make a decision now,” John said, shifting closer and resting his head on Alex’s chest. “Just think about it okay? Offer’s open whenever you want to take it.”

“I’ll think about it,” Alex promised, gently playing with John’s hair.

———

“Philip, we’ve got some presents for you,” Lafayette announced, carrying a bunch of gift bags into the tv room. 

“Really?” Philip looked up from the monopoly board. “But it’s not my birthday or Christmas!”

“These are back to school presents,” Hercules explained, resting down bags on the floor near the coffee table. “Since school starts next week.”

“What have you done?” Alexander whispered to John, eyes narrowing a bit.

“This wasn’t my idea,” John whispered back, watching as George placed more gift bags on the floor for Philip and then sat down next to Martha. 

“Can I open them, daddy?” Philip asked, looking over at Alexander with excitement. 

“Sure, mijo,” Alex sighed, smiling stiffly. “Go ahead.”

Philip grinned and began opening the gifts. There were bunches of new clothes and shoes. A new school bag, pencils, crayons, and notebooks. With each item that he pulled out the knot in Alexander’s stomach grew bigger and tighter. Eventually - after Philip pulled out a clearly very expensive new winter coat - Alexander stood and quickly left the room. John frowned, standing and following him.

“Alex?” John said, catching up with him in the kitchen. “Alex, what’s wrong?”

“He’s my son,” Alexander said, whirling around to face John, anger clear in his eyes. “He’s my son and I can take care of him. I can get him the things he needs. I don’t need your charity and pity.”

“Alex,” John said gently, taking a step towards him. “Alexander, this isn’t charity or pity. We care about you and Philip. We just wanted to help.”

“I don’t need your help!” Alex shouted, spinning back around and pacing the length of the kitchen. “I’ve been taking care of Philip just fine since he became mine. I don’t need you.”

“I know you don’t need us,” John whispered, watching Alexander pace. 

“We were just fine before you came along,” Alexander said, running a hand through his hair. “But now Philip is attached and it’s going to hurt him so much when you all leave.”

“What? Alexander, we’re not going to leave,” John reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling Alex to him. “We’re not just going to disappear from you guys lives.”

“Everyone always leaves, John,” Alexander said, looking down at his feet. “My father. My mother. My brother. Everyone.”

“I’m not leaving you,” John said softly, squeezing Alex’s arm gently. “Not unless you tell me to go.”

Alexander sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You all buying Philip expensive gifts makes me uncomfortable.”

“Okay,” John said softly, pulling Alex into a hug. “I’m sorry. We were just trying to help. I know you are stressed about paying for everything and we thought if there was one less thing you had to worry about it would help. But I guess we didn’t stop to think how it would make you feel. You’re right, Philip is your son and we should have talked to you first.”

“Philip is my brother’s son,” Alexander whispered into John’s shirt. “My brother and his girlfriend died when Pip was one. I’m Philip’s godfather so I was given custody of him. I was nineteen. From the first moment he became mine I’ve been constantly worried I’m going to fail him; that I’m not going to be able to give him everything that he needs to have a full and happy life. Seeing you guys so easily throw money around to get him things made me feel like a failure as a parent.”

“I’m sorry, Alexander,” John whispered, pressing a kiss to his temple. 

“It’s okay,” Alex pulled back slightly to look at John. “You were just trying to help.”

“Still,” John rested a hand on Alex’s cheek, “we’ll talk to you first next time.”

Alex smiled softly, leaning in and kissing John. “Thank you. For the gifts as well. It will help to not have to buy him things for school.”

“You’re welcome,” John whispered, arms wrapping around Alex’s waist. “We love you. And Philip. And we want to do anything we can to help.”

Alex smiled, leaning in to press his forehead to John’s with a soft sigh. John smiled, squeezing Alex’s waist a bit and shutting his eyes, simply enjoying the feeling of having Alexander in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I'm going to get the next part of the 'At Your Mercy' series up soon (a jeffmads centric piece)... it's just giving me a bit of trouble so it's taking a little longer than expected.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Oh,” Lafayette said, pausing their steps. “Ah, little star, it’s a bit complicated.”_
> 
> _Philip tilted his head to the side, “How?”_
> 
> _“Grown-ups often are very complicated, little one,” Lafayette ruffled his hair. “Especially when it comes to relationships and feelings.”_
> 
> _“That’s silly,” Philip said, starting to walk again._
> 
> _“I agree,” Lafayette chuckled, taking his hand as they make their way to the library._

“Does Philip know?” John asked, sitting beside Alexander as they watched Philip run around on the grass with his friends. John and Alexander were watching Philip lay soccer with his friends for a bit before heading to the movies. John found it astonishing how the children didn’t seem to notice the cold even though it was late November.  

“Know what?” Alex asked, not taking his eyes away from his son.

“That you’re his uncle,” John said, thumb rubbing the back of Alex’s hand gently. 

“Yes,” Alex nodded. “I told him when he turned five. Not on his birthday of course but…”

“How did your brother die?” John asked softly, glancing over at Alex.

“Car accident,” Alex squeezed John’s hand gently. 

“I’m sorry, Alex,” John squeezed his hand back. “That must have been hard. Losing your brother and raising Philip all alone. You were so young.”

“It was,” Alex admitted, looking over at him. “But I don’t regret it. Philip is the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“He’s a great kid,” John said, smiling. “And you’re a great dad.”

“Thanks,” Alex whispered, giving John a gentle kiss before turning back to watch Philip just in time to see him score a goal. Philip let out a loud cheer, jumping up and down excitedly before turning and running to where Alexander and John were sitting. 

“Daddy! Daddy! Did you see that?” He said, a bright smile on his lips.

“I did,” Alex laughed. “It was awesome. Well done!”

“Did you see, John?” Philip asked, turning his gaze to his father’s boyfriend.

“Yes, Pip, very well done!” John smiled. 

“Are you almost finished, mijo?” Alex asked, brushing some sweaty curls out of Philip’s face.

“Yes, Daddy,” Philip nodded, beaming. “I’m all finished. Can we go to the movies now?”

“Yes,” Alex smiled, holding out Philip’s coat to him. “You’ve got to put it back on now that you’re not running around.”

“But I’m still really hot, daddy,” Philip whined. “Can I put it on in a minute?”

“Fine,” Alex nodded. “In a minute after you cool down.”

“Thanks,” Philip said, smiling as he held his coat in hand, holding out his other for John to take. “Are you excited for the movie?”

“Sure am,” John said, holding Philip’s hand gently in his as the headed out of the park.

“After the movie can we go play with the dogs?” Philip asked, looking up at John hopefully. He hadn’t been able to go visit the Washington house much since starting school back in September, only really able to go on weekends since the house was too far away from his school. But he still saw a lot of the various members of the family since a different member would pick him up from school each day and hang out with him in the library where John worked until Alexander finished class or work. 

“If your daddy says yes,” John said, squeezing his hand. “Everyone would love to see you.”

“I haven’t seen George in ages,” Philip said, swinging the hand holding John’s back and forth. “He wasn’t there last weekend.”

“No, he wasn’t,” John agreed, remembering how George had been away on a business trip. “But he’s home now.”

“Good,” Philip grinned, glancing over at Alex. “Daddy likes it when George is there.”

“Philip!” Alex exclaimed, blushing. 

“Oh?” John raised an eyebrow, looking down at Philip. “Does he know?”

“Yeah,” Philip nodded. “I heard daddy tell Abuela that George is handsome.”

“Philip,” Alex sighed, ruffling his son’s hair. “Coat on, mouth closed.”

“It’s true, daddy,” Philip said, dropping John’s hand to put on his coat. “Abuela teased you because you have a crush on George.”

John laughed, glancing over at his boyfriend, “Something you need to tell me, dear?”

“No,” Alex said, adjusting Philip’s coat and making sure it was buttoned properly. 

“Why’re you lying, daddy?” Philip asked, looking up at him innocently. “You said it’s not good to lie. You could have a polyanorous like John and all his partners.”

“Polyamorous,” Alex corrected gently, taking one of Philip’s hands as they continued down the street. 

“Yeah that,” Philip shrugged. “If you like George you should tell him.”

“I’ll take your advice under advisement,” Alex said, holding open the door to the movie theatre. 

“What’s that mean?” Philip asked, going inside.

“He means he’ll think about it,” John chuckled, pressing a kiss to Alex’s cheek as he passed, entering the cinema.

“Good,” Philip nodded, smiling. 

———

“Lafayette?” Philip said, skipping down the street beside the much taller grown-up. 

“Oui?” Lafayette hummed.

“Do you like my daddy?” Philip asked, looking up at them with a curious expression.

“Yes, little star,” Lafayette looked down at him. “He’s a very good friend.”

“No,” Philip shook his head, stopping walking. “I mean, do you like daddy like John likes daddy?”

“Oh,” Lafayette said, pausing their steps. “Ah, little star, it’s a bit complicated.”

Philip tilted his head to the side, “How?”

“Grown-ups often are very complicated, little one,” Lafayette ruffled his hair. “Especially when it comes to relationships and feelings.”

“That’s silly,” Philip said, starting to walk again. 

“I agree,” Lafayette chuckled, taking his hand as they make their way to the library.

———

“Alex?” Eliza said softly, trying to get his attention without startling him. He was sat at the counter in the Washingtons’ house, his laptop open in front of him. He’d been sitting there for hours while the others were scattered about the house, doing their own things. Philip was currently sitting in the tv room, watching some movie curled with the dogs around him. 

“Yes?” Alex looked up, rubbing a hand over his face. 

“I wanted to ask you something,” Eliza slid a mug of coffee across the counter to him.

“What’s up?” 

“Christmas is coming up,” Eliza said gently. “And we want to get Philip presents. But John told us about how us getting Philip stuff in August made you feel and we don’t want to make you feel that way again. So I wanted to talk to you to see how much you’re comfortable with us buying him.”

“Oh,” Alex said, smiling slightly. “That’s ah, that’s very kind.”

“We care about you,” Eliza rested a hand on his, smiling gently. “So we’ve each made a list of things we were thinking of getting Pip. You can take a look and let us know how much is too much, yeah?”

“Yeah, okay,” Alex said, saving the document he was working on and shutting his laptop. “Thank you, Eliza.”

“You’re welcome, Alexander,” she said, squeezing his hand gently before pulling away and grabbing a stack of papers from the other side of the counter. “Here. You take a look and let me know what you think okay?”

“Okay,” he smiled, taking her hand gently and pressing a kiss to the back of it. Eliza smiled, stepping over and pressing a kiss on his forehead before leaving the kitchen. Alexander sighed, rubbing a hand over his face before looking down at the paper. 

John found Alexander sitting at the counter an hour later, a pile of tear-soaked papers in front of him. John could hear the soft hitches in Alexander’s breath, could see his shoulders shaking. He went over to him, resting a hand on Alexander’s back.

“Alex?” John whispered. “Alex, what’s wrong?”

Alex said nothing and turned to press his face into John’s chest, hugging him tightly. John was worried but knew now wasn’t the time to push him to speak so he just hugged his boyfriend tight, letting Alexander cry. Eventually, his tears dried up and Alex pulled back, rubbing his eyes.

“Sorry,” Alex whispered, giving John a sheepish smile.

“It’s fine, darling,” John rested a hand on Alex’s cheek. “You wanna tell me what got you so upset?”

“Eliza gave me the lists you guys made,” Alex whispered, biting his lip. 

“Ah,” John gently brushed hair out of Alex’s face. “If us buying Philip presents upsets you so much we won’t do it, Lex.”

“No,” Alex shook his head, taking John’s hand. “Well, yes, but not the way you’re thinking. I don’t want you to not buy him gifts. It just takes me sad that I can’t get him all these things.”

“Ah,” John smiled gently, squeezing Alex’s hand gently.

“I’m not going to be able to really get Philip anything this year,” Alex whispered, chewing his lip. “Not with tuition to pay for. And I had to get a new laptop. And we needed repairs in the apartment.”

“I don’t think Philip cares about getting a bunch of gifts, Alex,” John said softly. “More than anything I think he wants to just have some of your time.”

“I still feel like a failure,” Alex whispered, looking away. “I don’t know why James left Philip to me.”

“You’re a wonderful father,” John said, pulling Alex’s gaze back to him gently. “You’re a wonderful father and Philip is lucky to have you.”

Alex hummed, shrugging, “You’re biased.”

“Only in the best way,” John laughed, leaning in and kissing him gently.

———

Philip giggled as Hercules hoisted the boy up onto his shoulders to put the star on top of the tree. They were all in the formal sitting room of the Washingtons, soft Christmas music playing in the background as the family put up the Christmas decorations. 

“I’m so tall!” Philip giggled, reaching up to try and touch the ceiling. 

“Maybe one tall you’ll be tall like this,” Lafayette laughed, handing him the star.

“Or probably not,” Angelica laughed. “Your daddy is very short. Unless your mom was tall.”

“My first daddy was very tall,” Philip said, putting the star on the tree before looking down at Angelica. “And so was my mommy.”

Angelica frowned a bit. “Your daddy’s right there.”

“I was adopted,” Philip said, resting his hands on top of Hercules’ head. “Daddy is my first daddy’s brother.”

“Philip is my older brother James’ son,” Alex explained, hanging a ball on the tree. “James and his girlfriend, Philip’s mother, died in a car crash when Philip was one. I got custody.”

“My first daddy and mommy went to heaven,” Philip said as Lafayette helped him climb down off Hercules’ shoulders. “Daddy says they’re looking down and watching me and protecting me.”

“I’m sure they are,” Angelica smiled, handing him a decoration to put on the tree. “And I’m sure they’re very proud of you.”

“Thank you,” Philip smiled.

“What are you asking Santa for for Christmas, Philip?” Peggy asked, sat on the floor making a paper chain. 

“Nothing,” Philip said, shrugging. 

“Why not, Pip?” Peggy looked up at him, a bit surprised. 

“Because I already got what I really want,” Philip explained.

“And what’s that?” Martha asked, handing out mugs of hot chocolate. 

“Someone to make daddy smile,” Philip said, not looking up as he carefully placed decorations on the tree. Philip’s answer shot straight into the hearts of everyone in the room, making them all smile. Alexander got up from where he was sitting and scooped Philip into his arms, making the boy squeal and giggle as Alex tickled his sides.

“I love you, Pip,” Alex said, peppering kisses across his cheeks.

“I love you too, daddy,” Philip smiled, wrapping his arms around Alex’s neck and squeezing tight. Alex hugged him for a moment before Philip started to squirm, wanting to get back to his decorating. Alex pressed one more kiss to his forehead before resting him down on the floor. 

“We have something for you two,” George said, grabbing two boxes from out of a drawer in the side table. 

“A present?” Philip’s eyes lit up. “But it’s not Christmas yet!”

“A sort of present,” George nodded, going over to hand one box to Alexander and one to Philip.

“What is it?” Alexander asked, eyeing the box sceptically. 

“Just open it, Lex,” John huffed affectionately. Philip eagerly opened his, tossing the box lid to the side to reveal the beautifully made ornament. 

“That’s my name!” Philip looked up, eyes bright with excitement. “It has my name on it!”

“It does,” Martha chuckled. 

“It looks like those ones,” Philip pointed at where all the other personalised ornaments the family had were hanging in the centre of the tree.

“It’s supposed to,” Lafayette smiled. “Everyone in our family gets an ornament.”

“And you’re part of the family now,” Hercules continued.

“So you get one too!” Eliza grinned.

“Do you like yours, daddy?” Philip asked, looking at Alexander.

“Yes,” he whispered, looking up, eyes wet with tears. “Yes, I love it.”

“Hang them,” John encouraged gently, giving Alex a little push towards the tree before moving to scoop Philip up. He carried the boy over to the tree, holding him so he could place his ornament with the others, Alexander doing the same beside him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friends... I got tickets to see Hamilton again on January 3rd (aka my 22nd birthday)!!! I'm so excited!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Daddy!” Philip squealed, running at Alexander as he came into the room with Martha. “Daddy! Daddy! Come dance with us!”_
> 
> _“Okay, mijo,” Alex laughed, picking Philip up and hugging him tight before going over and sitting next to John, kissing his cheek. “Hey.”_
> 
> _“Hey, Lex,” John said, smiling. “How was work?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, enjoy this New Years Eve chapter almost a month after New Years.

Alexander had to work on New Year’s Eve but Philip didn’t mind too much since he got to spend time with John and the others. John had spent the previous night at Alex and Philip’s apartment so when Alexander had to leave for work at noon John and Philip had piled into a car and made their wait to the Washingtons’ house. The entire drive there Philip was uncharacteristically quiet, staring out the window with a series look on his face. John had asked at one point if he was okay and received a nod in response but nothing more. John wasn’t sure what was going on but he knew Philip would speak up when he was ready so John let him be. Peggy was sitting on the front porch when they arrived, already wearing a pair of novelty ‘2018’ glasses with her hair pulled up into two buns. She jumped up when she saw them, running over to help with the bags.

“Hey, little man,” Peggy said, ruffling Philip’s hair as he climbed out of the car. “Ready to party?”

“It’s only one o’clock,” Philip said, scrunching his eyes slightly as he looked up at her.

“It’s never to early to start partying,” she said, grinning down at him as John handed her a bag. Philip hummed thoughtfully, grabbing his Spiderman bag and putting it on his shoulder. He held out a hand for John to take, something that surprised John a bit. Usually, Philip would just run straight inside, having long since gotten comfortable in the house. But John didn’t say anything, just took the boy’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before leading him inside. 

“Philip!” Eliza smiled, coming down the stairs as Philip carefully took off his shoes and tucked them to the side. “Happy New Year, little man.”

“Happy New Year, Eliza,” he smiled, giving her a small wave as he took John’s hand again. John was confused by how clingy Philip was being but didn’t mind too much. He quite enjoyed having Philip stay close to him. 

“Do you want to come help me finish making the snacks for tonight, Pip?” Eliza asked, smiling gently at the boy.

“No thank you, Eliza,” Philip said, leaning into John’s side. 

“Okay, darling,” Eliza said, pressing a kiss to John’s cheek before heading into the kitchen. 

“How about we go watch a movie, Philip,” John said, leading him down the hall to the tv room. Philip followed him easily, squeezing John’s hand tight. John sat down on the couch, pulling Philip down with him and grabbing the remote to turn on the tv. “Any requests?”

“Moana,” Philip said softly, curling into John’s side. “Please.”

“Sure thing, buddy,” John wrapped an arm around Philip pulling him close. “Are you okay, Philip? You’re awfully quiet today.”

Philip didn’t answer, just stood up and grabbed his bag off the floor. He pulled out an opened envelope and handed it to John before climbing back on the couch and curling into John’s side. John frowned, looking over the envelope addressed to Alexander with a bright red “IMPORTANT” stamped across the front. 

“Philip, what’s this?” John asked, pulling out the letter and opening it, heart sinking as he read over the letter. 

 

EVICTION NOTICE

30 DAY NOTICE TO VACATE

 

TO: Alexander Hamilton

 

AND TO ANY AND ALL OTHER OCCUPANT(S), INCLUSIVE. YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that your tenancy of the below-described premises is terminated, effective at the end of a thirty (30) day period after service on you of this notice.

The purpose of this notice is to terminate your tenancy of the below-described premise. If you fail to quit and deliver possession, legal proceedings will be instituted against you to obtain possession and such proceedings could result in a judgement against you which could include cost, attorney fees and other necessary disbursements.

The premises referred to are described as follows:

Address: Apartment 30, 165 Audubon Ave 

City: New York City

 

DATED: December 25, 2017

Andrew J Lowe - Landlord

 

“Does your dad know you have this, Philip?” John asked softly, shoving the letter back into the envelope. 

“No,” Philip whispered. “I took from his desk when he was getting ready for work.”

“You shouldn’t take people’s mail, Philip,” John said, resting the letter down on the couch. 

“Daddy was sad,” Philip looked up at John. “I wanted to know why.”

“I know,” John pulled Philip into his lap. “But you still shouldn’t take people’s things.”

Philip shrugged, resting his head on John’s chest. “Are we gonna have to live in a box?”

“What? No, Philip, of course not!” John hugged him tightly. “You’re not going to have to live in a box.”

“I looked up what eviction means,” Philip whispered. “I know we’ve gotta move. But we don’t got anywhere to go, John!”

“I’m sure your dad is going to figure something out, Philip,” John said, rubbing his back gently. “After all, isn’t he the cleverest person in the world?”

“Yeah,” Philip whispered, nodding slightly. “He is.”

“Then don’t worry,” John said, kissing the top of Philip’s head. “Your dad will figure everything out.”

“Okay,” Philip said softly, snuggling in closer to John. “Can we watch the movie now?”

“Sure,” John smiled, grabbing the remote and turning on the movie. 

—

Philip was in a better mood for the rest of the afternoon and by the time Alex finished work and got to the house Philip was happily dancing around the living room with Peggy. John was sat on the couch watching him with a smile, glad that Philip was having fun, even as his own thoughts couldn’t get away from the letter Philip had shown him. 

“Daddy!” Philip squealed, running at Alexander as he came into the room with Martha. “Daddy! Daddy! Come dance with us!”

“Okay, mijo,” Alex laughed, picking Philip up and hugging him tight before going over and sitting next to John, kissing his cheek. “Hey.”

“Hey, Lex,” John said, smiling. “How was work?”

“Fine,” Alex shrugged. “I’m just glad we didn’t stay open for New Years. That would have sucked.”

“It definitely would have,” John agreed, pressing a light kiss to Alex’s lips. 

“Daddy?” Philip said, wriggling around in Alex’s arms so he was facing his dad. 

“Yes, mijo?” Alex said, turning to him. 

“We’re not gonna have to live in a box right?” Philip asked, head tilted slightly to the side as he watched Alex. 

“What?” Alex frowned. “What’re you talking about?”

“I found the letter saying we had to move,” Philip said, brow scrunching up a bit. “But we don’t gots anywhere to move, Daddy, so I was worried we’d have to live in a box but John said that you won’t let that happen because you’re the smartest man in the world.”

“Did you go through my mail, Pip?” Alex said, narrowing his eyes slightly. “That’s not okay, buddy.”

“John said,” Philip shrugged, waving away the reprimand. “Daddy, we’re not going to have to live in a box right?”

“No, Philip,” Alex sighed, running a hand through his hair. “We’re not going to live in a box.”

“Then where are we gonna live?” Philip asked, frowning. 

“I’m going to figure that out,” Alex said, running a hand down Philip’s back. “But don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

“Can’t we live here?” Philip asked, lower lip sticking out slightly. “I like it here.”

“Philip,” Alex sighed. “We can’t just invite ourselves to live here. Plus it’s too far away from your school and mine and my jobs.”

“But daddy,” Philip whined, pouting hard. 

“Philip, enough, go dance with Peggy,” Alex said, shifting the boy off his lap. Philip huffed but ran off, heading back over Peggy who had stopped dancing and was currently on her phone. She looked up as soon as he returned to her side and happily put her phone away to resume dancing with him. 

“Can we talk in the kitchen?” Alex said softly to John, standing up. 

“Of course,” John said, standing as well, taking Alex’s hand and heading into the kitchen. The kitchen was empty so they sat down at the counter. “I’m sorry, Alex. Philip showed me the letter and seemed really worried about having to live in a box.”

“It’s fine,” Alex said softly, running a hand through his hair. “I should have hidden the letter better until I knew what I was going to do.”

“You know my offer to move in here is still on the table,” John said softly, resting a hand on Alex’s arm. 

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Alex whispered. “Philip would have to change schools. It would be hard to go to school and work.”

“If you move in here you wouldn’t have to work as much,” John pointed out softly. “You wouldn’t have to pay rent or bills.”

“I don’t need people throwing money at my problems, John,” Alex said, sounding a bit annoyed. “I can take care of myself and my son.”

“We know you can, Alex,” George’s voice startled both men, making John and Alex turn around sharply. George gave them a gentle smile as he walked over, leaning against the counter next to John’s seat. “We know you can take care of yourself just fine. But we care about you and Philip and we want to help.”

“I don’t need your charity,” Alex said, gaze hard even as a blush spread across his cheeks as George watched him intently. 

“It’s not charity,” George said, raising an eyebrow. “Family takes care of each other. And you’re part of our family now, Alexander.” 

Alex bit his lip, looking down at his lap as he contemplated John and George’s offer. It was tempting, oh so very tempting to just say yes and move in. To have one less thing to worry about paying for would make things so much easier. 

“It’s too far away from Columbia,” Alex said softly, trying to find any reason at all to not take their offer. 

“We all work in the city,” George pointed out. “Most of us quite near to Columbia. We carpool there anyway, it would be no problem having you join us.”

“Philip would have to change schools,” Alex countered. “He wouldn’t be able to stay at the same one, not moving so far away.”

“I’m sure we can find him a good school in the area,” John said softly. “He’s a great kid, he’ll make friends easily.”

“Or we could enrol him in a private school in the city near our jobs and your school,” George suggested. 

“Private school?” Alex startled, quickly shaking his head. “No, no way. I can barely afford law school. There’s no way I could add a private school for Philip to the mix.”

“Ah, yes, your law school,” George nodded slowly. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that, Alexander.”

“What about it?” Alex narrowed his eyes, not quite liking where this conversation was going.

“George, maybe now isn’t the best time to bring that up,” John said softly, looking up at the older man. 

“No, no, John, let him speak,” Alexander said, resting a hand on his boyfriend’s arm. 

“As you know, I’m the CEO of a major multi-national company,” George said, completely calm and collected. “And as such my company employs a large in-house team of lawyers. I’ve discussed it with the head of our legal department and we want to offer to pay for your schooling.”

“You want to what now?” Alex’s frown deepened. 

“Not for free, Alexander,” George said. “In exchange for my company paying for your schooling you’d have to come work for us for a minimum of five years.”

“You’re crazy,” Alex said, standing and pacing the length of the kitchen floor. “First you offer to move me and my son into your house - free of charge. Then you offer to pay for my schooling and give me a job when I graduate. What’s next, you’re going to offer to pay for Philip to go to one of those fancy private schools?”

George smiled, “Well…”

“No!” Alex snapped, whirling around to face him. “No, stop. He’s my son not yours I can take care of him.”

“We know you can, Alex,” John said, standing and going over to rest a gentle hand on his boyfriend’s cheek. “But we’ve got more money than sense and we want to help you so that you don’t have to stress. George makes more money in a single day than you probably make in a year. And while he does donate a metric shit ton of it to various charities he’s still got tons to spare. And he likes spending it on the people he cares about.”

“And I care about you,” George said, pushing away from the counter and going over to the pair. Neither George nor John missed the way Alex’s breath hitched at George’s words, nor the flush that spread across his cheeks. “And your son. John is right. We’ve all got far too much money to know what to do with and we like being able to help those that we care about.” 

“It would do you massive amounts of good not to have to worry about working a bunch of jobs and saving every penny,” John gently rubbed his thumb over Alex’s cheek, smiling at the way Alexander shivered slightly when George rested a hand on his back. “Let us help you, please?”

Alex chewed on his bottom lip before sighing, “Fine. But- but, John, don’t give me that look, of course, there’s a but. I’m not letting you pay for Philip’s schooling. Sending him to a private school is something I would like very much because he’s far too clever for his own good but I’m not letting you pay for that. He’s my son, I’ll take care of him.”

“A compromise then,” George said, gently rubbing a hand down Alex’s back. He and John shared a look at the way Alexander swallowed, pupils dilating slightly. “You pick a private school and apply for financial aid. I’m confident Philip will get in and anything the financial aid doesn’t cover we will take care of.”

“And if he doesn’t get finical aid?” Alex whispered. 

“We’ll discuss things again if that is the case,” George said softly. He didn’t bother to mention that he’d pull any strings necessary to ensure that Philip got everything he needed from any school Alexander choose. 

“So, what do you say?” John whispered, resting a hand on Alex’s waist and pulling his boyfriend close. 

“Fine,” Alex whispered. “Fine yes okay. We’ll move in here and Philip can go to some fancy private school. And George can pay for my schooling - as an investment-“

“Yes of course,” George chuckled.

“But-“

“Not another but,” John sighed, leaning in and pressing a light kiss to Alexander’s lips. “Come on, Alex, haven’t you ever wanted to have a sugar daddy?” Alex chocked, coughing and cheeks flushing. John laughed, pressing another kiss to Alexander’s lips, whispering, “George does so love to take care of his boys.” 

“John,” Alex whined, cheeks flushing embarrassingly bright. John just laughed and pulled back, flashing a wink over Alexander’s shoulder to George.

“No more buts, Alex,” George leaned in and whispered, lips brushing lightly against Alex’s ear. “Just say yes.” 

“Yes,” Alex breathed, biting his bottom lip. 

“Good boy,” George’s words send a shiver down Alex’s spine. John smiled, pressing a kiss to Alex’s cheek as the sound of little footsteps came thundering down the hall. 

“Daddy! Daddy!” Philip burst into the kitchen, sliding across the tile floor and barreling into Alex’s side. He wrapped his arms around Alex’s legs, looking up at him and frowning a bit. “Daddy why’re you cheeks so red?”

“No reason,” Alex said quickly, making John and George laugh. 

“Why’re all standing so close together in the middle of the kitchen?” Philip asked, tilting his head slightly as he inspected the way George’s cheek was still pressed to the side of Alex’s head. “Are you doing gross grownup things? Are you and George dating now too?”

Impossibly, Alex blushed harder, clearing his throat and pulling away from John and George before scooping Philip up into his arms. “No, mijo. I’m not.”

“Why not, daddy?” Philip asked, happily wrapping his arms around Alexander’s neck. “You think George is handsome! I know you do. You told Abuela!”

“Philip,” Alex sighed, resting his forehead against his son’s briefly. 

“If you like someone, daddy, you should tell them,” Philip said, poking Alex in the chest. “You always tell me it’s important to be honest.”

“Yes, thank you, mijo,” Alex sighed, brushing hair out of the boy’s face. “Are you done with all the wise life advice?”

Philip shrugged, “I guess. Can I have a cookie?”

“Sure,” Alex laughed, ruffling his hair and putting him back down on the ground. He grabbed off the plate on the counter and handed it to the boy. 

“Thank you, daddy, come dance,” Philip grabbed Alex’s hand, dragging him out of the kitchen. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“It still feels like I’m taking advantage,” Alex admitted softly. “I can’t live here without paying for anything.”_
> 
> _“You seemed pretty okay with the idea last night,” John said, frowning a bit._
> 
> _“That was last night. I’ve had time to think since then and I don’t like the idea of leaving here completely free,” Alex said, looking over at George with a determined expression._
> 
> _“We’re not taking your money, Alexander,” George said, sounding equally as determined as Alex looked._
> 
> _“Then we’re not moving in here,” Alex said, sitting up as straight as possible._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look! I updated two stories in one day. Look at me go!

Philip was allowed to stay up late, something he’d never done before, but immediately crashed right after the stroke of midnight. After Alexander tucked him into bed in the guest room, Alex went down the hall to John’s room. Some of the others were still downstairs celebrating but Alexander was exhausted from work so he was going to bed. He was surprised to find John there when he arrived, not expecting his boyfriend to join him in bed.   

“Don’t you want to spend time with the others?” Alex asked, stripping down to his boxers before climbing into the bed. 

“Nah,” John shrugged, pulling Alexander into his arms. 

“They’re your partners as well,” Alex said, kissing John’s cheek. “You don’t have to spend all your time with me.”

“I like spending time with you,” John said, pulling Alex to lay down on top of him. Alex hummed, snuggling in John and shutting his eyes. He loved cuddling with his boyfriend. John was soft and warm and always smelled great. 

“I’m exhausted,” Alex sighed, head resting on John's chest, above his heart. 

“So sleep, love,” John whispered, running his fingers through Alex’s hair. Alex hummed, snuggling in closer to John. The pair were silent for a moment and Alexander was just about to fall asleep when John whispered, “Hey, Alex?”

“Hmmm?”

“You know you can date George if you’re interested in him,” John whispered, scratching Alex’s scalp gently as he reached over to switch off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. “Or any of the others.”

“Mhmmm,” Alex gave a small nod against John’s chest, tangling a hand in John’s t-shirt before falling asleep.

———

The next morning, Philip - for the first time in his life - slept in until almost noon, much to the amusement of all the adults. Alex took advantage of the fact that Philip slept in so late to talk to the others about him and Philip moving in, wanting - needing - to make sure everyone was on the same page to avoid pain in the future.

“You really pay for everything?” Alexander asked, glancing between George and Martha. 

“Everything to do with the house yes,” Martha nodded. 

“The only thing we really pay for ourselves is our phone bills,” John shrugged. “And like if we go out, drinking or to the movies or whatever.”

“And our tuition,” Eliza added, looking up from where she was braiding Peggy’s hair. “Well, Peggy and I. The others don’t go to school anymore.”

“That feels weird,” Alex said.

“It does at first,” John agreed, squeezing Alex’s hand. “But wouldn’t you rather be able to focus on school and Philip and not have to worry about bills?”

“It still feels like I’m taking advantage,” Alex admitted softly. “I can’t live here without paying for anything.”

“You seemed pretty okay with the idea last night,” John said, frowning a bit. 

“That was last night. I’ve had time to think since then and I don’t like the idea of leaving here completely free,” Alex said, looking over at George with a determined expression. 

“We’re not taking your money, Alexander,” George said, sounding equally as determined as Alex looked. 

“Then we’re not moving in here,” Alex said, sitting up as straight as possible. 

George frowned, leaning forward a bit, “Alex-“

“George,” Martha interrupted, resting a hand on her husband’s knee. She leaned over and whispered something in his ear, making him sigh and nod, before turning back to Alexander. “Alex, if you are adamant about this then you can pay rent. But, we will accept nothing more than two-hundred dollars a month.”

Alexander raised an eyebrow, “Two hundred? That’s barely anything!”

“That’s the point,” Martha nodded, giving him a gentle smile. “We don’t need your money, Alexander. But I understand that it will make you feel better to pay us. We don’t want you to stress about having to pay rent and all the money you give us will be put into a separate account, so that one day if you no longer want to live here you will have money to move away.”

“You won’t be budged on this will you?” Alex said, narrowing his eyes slightly as he watched Martha.

“No I won’t,” she nodded. 

“Fine,” Alex sighed, giving a slight nod as he leaned back against John’s chest. 

“Lovely,” Martha smiled, flashing her husband a triumphant smile. “Do you have any other concerns?”

“Are you sure you all want to have a kid living with you?” Alex asked, looking around at all the adults in the room. “I love my son to death but he is a kid and he’s a lot sometimes.”

“We’re sure,” Angelica said. 

“We love kids, Alex,” Hercules said, fingers tracing over Lafayette’s hip where they were perched in his lap. “And we especially love Philip.”

“Are you sure?” Alex asked insistently. “It’s not all fun and games. Philip wakes up early and gets sick all the time. He’s so smart and so stubborn. He’s a good kid but he is still a _kid_ and he has days when every little thing makes him upset. Days where he throws a million tantrums and doesn’t listen to a single thing I say. I need you to be sure. Because I can’t move him here and then you all decide you don’t want to deal with him anymore. He’s my son and my top priority. I cannot put him in a position to just get hurt.”

“Alexander,” Eliza crawled away from where she was sat doing Peggy’s hair, moving over to kneel in front of Alex. She rested a hand on his knee, smiling up at him gently, “I can’t speak for the others, and I know you only dating John-”

“For now,” Lafayette muttered, making Hercules slap their side gently. 

“-but I kinda consider Philip mine.” Her smile turned a bit sheepish and shy, a light blush dusting her cheeks, not sure how Alexander would take her words and if he would be offended. She hoped he wouldn’t be.  “Your son is a brilliant beautiful little boy. And I would be honoured to have the chance to play even a small part in helping him to grow into a brilliant beautiful man like his father.”

Alexander swallowed, watching Eliza with an adoring gaze. Eliza stared back at him, gaze equally adoring but also a little hesitant, nervous. The group shared looks over the pair’s heads, recognising the look in Alexander and Eliza’s eyes. 

“He’s still your son, Alexander,” Eliza whispered. “And none of us would ever want to take your place. We never could. But we love Philip and want to be part of his life - in any way that you will allow us to be.”

“Oui, Alexander,” Lafayette said, grinning over at him. “We want you and Philip to be part of our little family.”

“Not so little,” Peggy chuckled.

“Okay yes, not so little,” Lafayette hummed. “But is nine parental figures not better than one?”

Alex gave a soft laugh, biting his bottom lip gently as he nodded slightly. “If you’re sure.”

“We are,” all the others said in unison, completely sincere. 

“Plus, it’ll be great to get some experience in for when we have a hoard of kids,” Lafayette said, grinning cheekily, making everyone dissolve into laughter as if they were joking.

They weren’t.

———

Philip was ecstatic when Alexander told him they were moving into the Washingtons’ house. Alex gave him the news early in the afternoon on January 1st, after the excitement of the previous night’s party had settled. Philip then spent the rest of the afternoon bouncing around the house in excitement, playing fetch with the dogs and hide-and-seek with Peggy and Lafayette. Alexander was endlessly amused by his son’s excitement, heart warmed at the way that this family had welcomed him and Philip into their lives and hearts. 

“When can we move, daddy?” Philip asked, bouncing in his seat as everyone was sat around the table for dinner. 

“Our lease isn’t up for a couple weeks, Philip, there’s no need to rush,” Alex said, putting some mashed potatoes onto Philip’s plate. 

“But daddy!” Philip whined, pouting. “I wanna move now!”

“It takes time to get everything organised and moved, Pip,” John said, ruffling his hair. “Plus we’ve got to fix up a room here for you. All the bedrooms are set up for grown-ups.”

“I get my own room?” Philip grinned, eyes wide. “Will it have a big bed? And lotsa room for my books?”

“Yes, of course,” George nodded, smiling fondly at the boy. “We’re going to turn the guest room you usually stay in into a room just for you.”

“Awesome!” Philip exclaimed, eyes alight with excitement. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome, Philip,” Martha smiled. “Now eat up. And then we can go watch a movie before it’s time for you to go to bed.”

“Can we watch Aladdin?” Philip asked, looking around at all the adults. He had grown to love each and every person sat around the table with him. They were all his family now and Philip was overjoyed that he was going to be living there with them. 

“Sure, Pip,” John said, smiling down at the boy, handing him a napkin. 

“Awesome!” Philip grinned, taking the napkin and wiping mashed potatoes off his face. “Daddy?”

“Yes, mijo?” Alex said.

“Now that we’re gonna be living here are you finally gonna admit that you like George?” Philip asked innocently, eyes wide and curious. Alexander inhaled sharply, nearly choking on the mouthful of carrot he’d been in the middle of swallowing. “It’s very obvious, daddy. You get all red when he talks to you and you stare at him a lot the same way you stare at John.”

“Philip,” Alex sighed, ducking his head. The other adults watched Alexander and Philip silently, curious to see how Alexander was going to handle the situation. 

“Don’t be sad, daddy! George likes you too!” Philip climbed into Alex’s lap. “He has that twinkle in his eye when he looks at you like when he looks at John and Martha and Laf and Herc and-”

“Yes, Pip, I got it,” Alex said, tapping his nose gently. 

“So are you gonna tell him you like him?” Philip asked, resting his hands on Alexander’s cheeks.

“I think you’ve already got that covered, mijo,” Alex said softly, sounding a little uncomfortable. “Questions like that are generally better done in private, Philip.”

“Oh,” Philip frowned a bit. “But if I had asked you in private then you would have told me you’ll think about it and not do it. Now you gotta do _something_ because everyone else is here too!”

“He got you there, Alexander,” Angelica said with a chuckle, the others laughing softly as well. “You do have to do something now.”

“Yes, thank you, Angelica,” Alex said, glancing over at her with a glare. 

“Daddy,” Philip said softly, patting Alex’s cheek. “If you like George you should tell him. I want you to be happy, daddy.”

“I am happy, mijo,” Alex whispered, smiling at him. 

“But you’ll be happier if you’ve got more people to love,” Philip said, leaning in and resting his forehead against Alex’s, rubbing their noses together. “If you love someone go get them, what’re you waiting for, daddy?”

“No one said anything about love, mijo. But you’re far too smart for your own good,” Alexander whispered, shutting his eyes for a second before pulling back and pressing a kiss to Philip’s forehead. Philip giggled, smiling brightly at Alexander as he climbed back into his chair. 

“So?” Philip prompted when Alexander didn’t immediately say anything to George.

Alex sighed, turning to the older man, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks. “George?”

“Yes, Alexander?” George said softly, a gentle and amused smile on his lips.

“Would you like to go on a date with me?” Alex asked, not bothering to beat around the bush and just getting to the point. 

“I would love to,” George said, eyes sparkling. 

“Great,” Alex nodded, glancing over at Philip. “You happy now, mijo?”

“Si,” Philip gave a single nod, grinning at Alexander for a moment before turning to his food. Alex shook his head fondly, leaning over and pressing a kiss to Philip’s curls while the others all laughed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think I mentioned it in the story and it might not come up but - Alex and Philip (currently) live in a small one bedroom apartment. They generally share the bedroom (and bed) but when John stays over John and Alex sleep out on the pullout sofa. That's why Philip was so excited about having his own bedroom.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _And after a week of living at the Washingtons', Alex found that he did enjoy having other adults around to help with Philip. As much as he loved his son it was nice to be able to have a few minutes to relax and not worry about him._

“Alexander?” John said, watching Alex pace the length of their bedroom from his perch on the bed. Alex and Philip were completely moved into the Washingtons' residence by the firsFridayay of the month leaving Philip over the moon with excitement and absolutely in love with his new bedroom. Alexander wasn’t sure when anyone had had the time to change the guest bedroom into the beautiful children’s room that was now Philip’s, but he was so grateful for them. The look on his son’s face when Philip saw the room for the first time was something Alexander was never going to forget. The pure joy and excitement in his eyes was enough to chase away any lingering doubts about moving in. Alexander, more than anything, wanted Philip to be happy and if that meant swallowing his pride and learning to accept help from people who clearly cared about him and his son then he would learn to do it. 

And after a week of living at the Washingtons', Alex found that he did enjoy having other adults around to help with Philip. As much as he loved his son it was nice to be able to have a few minutes to relax and not worry about him. Plus, the other adults really did seem to like having a kid around and they had all taken to being parental figures with gusto. The only ones who worked nine to five jobs were George, Angelica, and Hercules while the others worked shifts or evenings or were in school, making it easy for there to always be someone around to take care of Philip without Alexander having to stress. It was nice, not having to stress. It definitely made it a lot easier to focus on his classes. 

“Alex?” John repeated, reaching out and grabbing Alex’s hand, pulling him in close. “You know you don’t have to be nervous for your date with George, right?”

Alex huffed, “I’m not nervous.”

“Yes you are,” John chuckled, kissing Alex gently. “You’ve been pacing for the past half hour. Were you this nervous before our first date?”

“No,” Alex said, giving John’s hand a gentle squeeze. “I was nervous but… George is your boyfriend too, and what if things don’t work out between me and him? I don’t want things to be awkward.”

“They won’t be awkward,” John shrugged, tucking hair out of Alex’s face. “And things will work out.”

“You don’t know that for sure,” Alex said, brow furrowing a bit. 

“No, but you don’t know for sure that things won’t work out,” John pointed out softly, kissing Alex’s forehead to soothe the worried wrinkles. “You like George, George likes you. You two already get along as friends. Just go into the date with an open mind and enjoy it. George loves to spoil people - especially on the first date - so I’m sure you’ll have fun if you just let yourself enjoy and not try to analyse every detail.”

“What was your first date with George like?” Alex asked, sitting down on John’s lap. He gently tangled his fingers in the loose strands of John’s hair, smiling softly at how soft it was. 

“It was amazing,” John said softly, pulling Alex close.  

“George refuses to tell me where we’re going,” Alex said, pouting a bit. 

“He likes surprises,” John leaned up, kissing Alex gently. “Trust me you'll love it.”

“Will you tell me about your date?” Alex asked, resting his head on John’s shoulder. He still had a couple hours before he was meant to be leaving with George and he knew he would drive himself bad with worry if he didn’t have something to distract himself with. 

“Sure, darling,” John said, hugging Alex tight. “George was the third person I went on a date within this group. The first was Hercules and then Lafayette. And then George asked me out about a month after living with them…”

_John looked around the restaurant, a touch nervous. He hadn’t been to a place this fancy since running away from home as a teenager. He felt a little out of place, even in his fancy suit that Hercules had made him and with his hair done up into a complex braid courtesy of Lafayette. He nervously pulled on the ends of his braid, looking over at George as the man looked over the wine list. He looked insanely handsome with his little pair of reading glasses perched on his nose, gaze intent as he looked over the wine list._

_“Do you have a wine preference?” George asked, looking up at John with a soft smile._

_“Huh?” John blushed, not really paying attention to George’s words, too busy staring at George._

_“John?” George chuckled, reaching out and resting a hand on top of John’s. “You okay?”_

_“Yeah,” John blushed, ducking his head. “Yeah, sorry. Just a little nervous.”_

_“Why, darling?” George gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “I don’t make you nervous do I?”_

_“No,” John said, looking down. “Well, a bit. But it’s mostly just feeling a bit strange being somewhere so fancy. I haven’t been to somewhere this nice in years.”_

_“Ah,” George’s voice was soft, gentle, understanding. “We can go somewhere else if you’d like. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”_

_“No, no,” John looked up at him, smiling gently. “I like it. I’d like to stay.”_

_“Alright,” George pressed a hand to the back of John’s hand before looking around to summon a waiter. “Do you know what you want to order, John?”_

_“No,” John looked down at his menu, biting his bottom lip gently. “You’ve been here before right?” George nodded as the waiter appeared at his side. “Can you order for me then?”_

_“Sure,” George smiled, looking up at the waiter. He ordered wine and dishes for the both of them, while John just sat watching him. From the first time Hercules had introduced him to George, John had been attracted to the man. But John had truthfully never thought George would have been interested in him. Once the waiter had their order, George turned back to John, gaze intent and happy._

“Dinner was delicious,” John traced his fingers down Alex’s neck, brushing the ends of his hair out of the way. “I think? I can’t really remember too much about the food. I was far too distracted by George.”

Alex laughed softly, playing with John’s fingers gently. “And what happened after dinner?”

“We went to an art gallery,” John smiled in Alex’s hair at the memory. “It was the opening for an artist I love. George apparently went to school with the curator of the gallery and I was able to meet the artist. It was amazing.”

“Sounds like fun,” Alex whispered. 

“It was,” John agreed softly. “Feeling a little better?”

“Yeah,” Alex said, pulling away and standing up. “I should finish getting ready.”

“Okay, Alex,” John said, standing as well. “I’m going to go make sure Peggy remembered to give Philip dinner.”

“Alright,” Alex nodded, stepping in and pressing a kiss to John’s lips. John smiled, kissing him back gently before leaving the bedroom.

—

“How do you think it’s going?” John asked, head resting on Hercules’ lap. 

“Hmm?” Hercules looked up from the shirt sleeve he was hemming for Peggy. 

“How do you think Alex and George’s date is going?” John asked, looking up at him, a touch of worry in his eyes. 

“I’m sure they’re having a great time,” Lafayette said, dropping down onto the couch and laying on top of John. 

“Laf!” John groaned, his much smaller frame being squashed under Lafayette. 

“Désolé, mon amour,” they said, kissing his lips gently but continuing to lay on top of him. John grumbled into their kiss but kissed them back, brushing their hair back when it started to tickle his neck. The pair kissed lazily for a few minutes before Lafayette broke the kiss, smiling down at John. “I can still remember my first date with George. It was fantastic.”

“What did you do?” John asked, playing with the ends of Lafayette’s hair. Their eyes lit up with excitement before launching into the story.

_“Where are you taking me, Monsieur?” Lafayette asked, arm wrapped around George’s._

_“You’ll see,” George said, leading them down the street. It was a beautiful spring evening, not too cold or too warm, a perfect night. Lafayette pouted a bit at the none answer but continued to walk happily by George’s side. It wasn’t long before their destination became clear and Lafayette turned to George with a bright smile._

_“The Opera?” Their voice was filled with excitement._

_“Yes,” George nodded, pulling two tickets out of his pocket and handing them to Lafayette._

_“Roméo et Juliette,” their eyes widened a bit. “En Francais?”_

_“Yes,” George smiled, hand settling on the small of their back to lead them inside._

_“But you don’t speak French,” Lafayette looked up at him, handing the tickets back so George could show them to the usher._

_“No, but you do,” George said, smiling fondly. “And I don’t need to understand the words to appreciate the artistry.”_

_“Merci, monsieur,” Lafayette said softly, voice filled with emotion._

_“You’re welcome, Lafayette,” he smiled, pressing a kiss to their cheek. “Come, we have a box.”_

"And then after the show, we went to this delightful little French bistro," Lafayette said, arms resting on John's chest, chin sitting on top, staring up at John. "It was a wonderful evening."

"What about you, Herc?" John asked, looking up at him. Hercules was still sewing, only half listening to Lafayette's story since he'd heard it a million times.

"We went to a football game," Hercules said, glancing down at John. "George managed to get some great seats. It was a lot of fun."

"What're we talking about?" Peggy asked, bouncing into the room and flopping down in Hercules lap, narrowly managing to not crush John's head. 

"Our first dates with George," Lafayette explained, smiling up at her.

"Ah," she nodded. "Well, George and me didn't have a first date per say because you know, we're not dating. But shortly after I moved in, he did take me to a charity ball his company did and bought me a really fancy designer dress." 

"That is a very nice dress," Hercules agreed, wrapping an arm around Peggy's waist, kissing her cheek. 

"I love it," she smiled. "But why're we talking about first dates with George?"

"John was worried about how Alexander and George's date was going," Hercules explained, putting his sewing down on the side table. 

"I'm sure it's going great," Peggy said, running her fingers through John's curls. "Don't stress, loverboy."

"I'm not stressing," John pouted up at her. "I'm just curious."

"Mhmm," Peggy said, rolling her eyes fondly as the little footsteps approached the couch. 

"John?" Philip said softly. The group of adults looked over, finding Philip standing in the doorway, dressed in his dinosaur pyjamas. He was clutching the Spider-Man teddy that Angelica had given him for Christmas and looking sad. 

"Yes, Pip?" John said, making Lafayette get off him so he could get up. John went over and picked the boy up, smiling slightly when Philip wrapped his arms around John's neck, squeezing tight. "You okay, buddy?"

"Had a bad dream," Philip whispered. "Daddy isn't here."

"He's still out on his date with George," John said, rubbing Philip's back gently. 

"Scared," Philip sniffled, clutching John's shirt tight. 

"It's okay, Pip," John said, giving the other adults a small wave before carrying Philip out of the room and upstairs. "I'm here. How about you come sleep in me and daddy's bed so you'll be there when he gets back?"

"Okay," Philip whispered, snuggling into John as he opened the bedroom door, slipping inside and shutting it behind him. John carried the boy over to the bed, resting him down on the mattress. Philip shifted to the center of the bed, climbing under the covers and watching as John went and closed the curtains, plunging the room into the darkness. Philip whimpered, "No!"

"It's okay, Pip," John said, going over quickly and turning on the bedside lamp. "It's alright, buddy."

"The dark is where the monsters are," Philip whispered, clutching Spider-Man tight as John climbed into the bed. 

"Don't worry, I won't let any monsters get you," John said, sliding under the covers and pulling Philip into his arms. He laid down, holding Philip close. "I will protect you, Philip."

"Love you," Philip whispered, curling in close and shutting his eyes. John's heart skipped a beat, a smile spreading across his face. He hugged Philip tighter, kissing the top of his head. 

"I love you too, Pip," John whispered. "Good night, mijo."

"Night, papi," Philip whispered, body relaxing in John's arms as he drifted back to sleep, leaving John laying there, staring at the ceiling for a long time before he was able to fall asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Philip's pyjamas](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71mzJ1mfNGL._UX385_.jpg)
> 
>  
> 
> [Philip's stuffed bear](http://www.figures.com/wordpress/wp-content/gallery-bank/gallery-uploads/o_1bioiat3p23d10ci1hcnf491456f.jpg)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“How was your date, Alexander?” Lafayette asked, moving from where they were talking to Hercules to Alexander’s side, wrapping an arm around Alex’s shoulders._
> 
> _“Wonderful,” Alex said, glancing over at George who smiled at him over his tablet._

Alexander crawled into bed with them at some hour in the morning, curling around Philip and tangling his fingers with John’s. Philip woke them both early the next morning, wriggling around where he was trapped between Alexander and John. 

“Daddy,” Philip whined, poking his fingers into Alex’s side. “Daddy, I’m squished.”

“But you make sure a good teddy,” Alex said, smiling into Philip’s curls as he hugged his son tighter. 

“Daddy!” Philip giggled, wriggling around, kicking John in the stomach and making him groan. “Sorry, papi.”

John inhaled sharply and Alex stiffened, opening his eyes and looking at his son. John swallowed, eyes opening slowly to look over at Alexander. Philip didn’t notice that he’d done something to cause the adults distress and simply continued to wriggle around to break free. Alexander let him, too stunned by Philip’s calling John ‘papi’. Philip crawled over Alex, climbing out of the bed and standing up. 

“Daddy, I’m hungry,” Philip said, grabbing the back of Alex’s shirt. 

“Go down to the kitchen, Pip,” Alex said, glancing over at him, giving him a small smile. “I’ll be down in a second.”

“Okay, daddy!” Philip said, dropping his Spider-Man onto the bed before running out of the room. 

“He called you papi,” Alex said, sitting up and watching John. 

“Alex,” John sat up, a worried look on his face. “I'm sorry. He just- last night he had a nightmare and came looking for me since you weren't here and he called me that right before he fell asleep and I thought it was just because he was half asleep. I'm sorry. I’ll tell him not to call me that and-”

John was cut off by Alex’s lips pressing against his, a gentle hand resting against his cheek. John kissed him back, reaching up to tangle a hand in Alex’s hair. 

“Lex?” John whispered, confused. 

“I don't mind,” Alex whispered. “I don't mind if he calls you papi.”

“We've only been dating less than a year,” John pointed out softly. “Isn't it a little soon?”

Alex shrugged, “maybe but when I think about the rest of my life I think about you in it, John. So I don't mind if Philip calls you papi. I love it I fact. Unless- unless of course you don't want him to call you that.”

“I do,” John whispered, smiling shyly. 

“Okay,” Alex’s smile grew as he leaned in and kissed John again. “I love you, John.”

“I love you too, Alexander,” John whispered, cupping his cheek gently. “We should probably get downstairs, Philip is hungry.”

“Yeah, lets go,” Alex said, giving John one last kiss before climbing out of bed. 

Philip was sat at the counter when John and Alex arrived, happily eating a bowl of cereal that Martha had prepared for him. She was sat beside him, sipping her coffee and listening intently to Philip talk between bits of breakfast. Lafayette and Hercules were stood by the stove, cooking pancakes and talking quietly to each other. Peggy was scrolling through her phone, sat on the counter near the fridge with George standing close by, tablet in hand as he absently drank his coffee. 

“Good morning,” Alex said, moving across the kitchen to the coffee pot, pouring himself and John a mug. 

“Daddy!” Philip looked up, grinning at him. “You took ages! So Martha made me some cereal!”

“That was nice of her,” Alex said with a smile, handing John his coffee. “You said thank you, yes?”

“Yes, daddy,” Philip sighed, giving Alex an exasperated smile. “Of course I did!”

“Just checking,” Alex smiled, going over and ruffling Philip’s already messy curls. 

“I’m a very polite boy, daddy,” Philip said, scooping up another spoonful of cereal. “Abuela says so.”

“You are, Pip,” Alex agreed, leaning against the counter beside him. “But sometimes everyone forgets their manners.” Philip shrugged, shovelling more cereal into his mouth, making Alex chuckle softly before leaning down and kissing his forehead. “Slow down, Philip, you don’t want to choke.”

“How was your date, Alexander?” Lafayette asked, moving from where they were talking to Hercules to Alexander’s side, wrapping an arm around Alex’s shoulders. 

“Wonderful,” Alex said, glancing over at George who smiled at him over his tablet. 

“What did you do?” Peggy asked, dropping her phone on the counter. Alex didn’t respond, just gave a small shrug, sipping his coffee with a smile. 

“Really? Not going to share, mon amour?” Lafayette said, fingers ghosting over the side of Alex’s jaw. 

“Nope,” Alex said, glancing up at them with a smirk. Lafayette pouted, eyes growing wide and pleading. Alex laughed, having had many years of practice against puppy dog eyes, “Sorry, Laf. I’m not telling.”

“George,” Lafayette whined, releasing Alex and moving quickly over to George. 

“If he doesn’t want to tell you he doesn’t have to,” George said, barely looking up from the article he was reading. “He’s allowed to have secrets.”

Lafayette huffed, pouting as they allowed Hercules to pull them back to the stove. He pressed a kiss to their temple, whispering something that made them sigh and nod.

“Daddy?” Philip said, licking his lips after drinking the milk from his bowl. 

“Si, mijo?” Alex hummed, looking over at him. 

“Are you and George boyfriends now like you and papi?” Philip asked, looking between Alex and George.

“Papi?” Martha asked, eyebrows raising. 

“Si, papi!” Philip said, pointing to John. 

“Since when do you call John papi, Philip?” Peggy asked, looking a little confused. 

“Since last night,” John said, giving a small smile as he went over and kissed the top of Philip’s head. 

“Oh,” Peggy said, nodding slowly. “And Alex is-“

“Alex is okay with it,” Alex interrupted, tangling his fingers together with John’s. 

“Alright,” Peggy shrugged, leaning over and stealing a pancake off the plate that Hercules had been filling. She took a bite, smirking at Lafayette. 

“Hey!” Lafayette said, leaning over and biting the other end of the pancake. 

“You know there are more, right?” Hercules said, shaking his head fondly at them. 

“This is more fun,” Lafayette shrugged, taking another bite of the pancake hanging out of Peggy’s mouth. 

———

“Alexander?” Eliza said, flopping down onto the couch next to him. 

“Yeah?” He looked up from the paper he had been working on his laptop. 

“Philip’s birthday is in a couple days right?” She asked, resting her head on his shoulder. 

“Yeah, on Monday. The twenty-second,” Alex saved his document, closing his laptop. 

“We wanted to throw a party for him,” she said, shifting a little closer. “On Sunday. Nothing super extravagant, just us and some cake and a few presents. But we thought it best to talk to you first.”

“Who’s we?” Alex asked, wrapping an arm around Eliza’s shoulders. 

“All of us,” she hummed, snuggling into him. 

“Alright,” Alex said softly, smiling into her hair. “I’m sure, Philip would love that.”

“Great,” she smiled, looking up at him. “We won’t go overboard. I promise. No overly expensive gifts.”

“Thank you, Eliza,” Alex whispered, smiling down at her.

“You’re welcome,” she said softly. “And Alex?”

“Yeah,” he whispered. She shifted, leaning up and kissing him softly, hand moving to cup his cheek gently. Alex gasped softly, kissing her back, brushing her hair behind her ear.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a while,” she whispered, breaking the kiss and resting her forehead against his.

“Me too,” Alex admitted softly, leaning in and kissing her again. Eliza smiled, shifting to straddle his lap, fingers combing through his soft hair. 

“Alex?” She whispered, breaking the kiss and sitting back slightly. 

“Yeah?” He hummed, thumb gently stroking her cheek.

“When’s your birthday?” She asked, smiling softly and leaning into his hand.

“January eleventh,” Alex whispered, pulling her back in for another kiss but Eliza sat back, eyes widening.

“We missed your birthday!” She exclaimed, looking concerned.

“Yeah, but I didn’t tell anyone so it’s fine,” he shrugged, thumb swiping over her bottom lip. 

“It most certainly is not,” she said, climbing off his lap and grabbing his hand. She pulled him off the couch, dragging him out of the room and down the hall to the kitchen. 

“We missed Alex’s birthday!” Eliza announced, making George, Martha, Lafayette, and Angelica look up from the tablet they were all crowded around, looking at things for Philip’s birthday. 

“What! Really? Why did you not tell us, mon amour?” Lafayette said, rushing over and cupping Alex’s cheeks, staring down at the shorter man. 

Alex shrugged, “We all had other things to focus on. More important things.”

“Nonsense,” Lafayette scoffed. “We always love an excuse to spoil each other.”

“And to throw a party,” Angelica said, smirking. 

“Oui!” Lafayette grinned, nodding vigorously. “We love parties.”

“Let us throw you a party, Alex,” Eliza said, squeezing his hand and leaning in to kiss his cheek. 

“Oh!” Lafayette gasped, eyes widening with delight. “Are you two…?”

“Yeah,” Eliza nodded, smiling and leaning into Alex’s side. 

“Wonderful!” Lafayette grinned, cupping Alex’s cheeks and pressing a big kiss on his forehead. “I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks, Laf,” Alex said, blushing. 

“Now, we simply must throw a party!” Lafayette said, whirling around to look at the others. 

“I’d really rather we focus on Pip,” Alex said, sounding a bit uncomfortable. “I don’t really care about my birthday but Philip cares about his and I’d rather we make his birthday great since I haven’t been able to do much for his previous birthdays.”

“Are you sure?” Eliza said, squeezing his hand. “We have resources to throw a party for both of you.”

“I’m sure,” Alex nodded. 

“But Alexander,” Lafayette whined, pouting. Alex shut his eyes for a moment before sighing, opening his eyes a moment later and fixing Lafayette with a serious look. 

“Something small,” Alex said, sounding firm. “We can have a dinner for me. And a party for Philip.”

“Dinner party!” Lafayette’s pout immediately turned into a big smile. “I love dinner parties! Oh, this will be fun!”

——————

Somehow Lafayette managed to get together a fairly elaborate dinner party in only a couple days while the others focused on preparing the party for Philip. They decided to have the dinner party on the Saturday, the night before Philip’s party on Sunday. Lafayette went all out with the food and drinks. Alexander let Philip stay up late, watching with love as Philip ran around between all the adults, eating bites of Lafayette’s fancy hors-d'oeuvres that they had spent all day making with the help of Hercules and Peggy.

“Daddy!” Philip ran over, a little plate in his hand. “Daddy, Laf made snails!”

“I saw, Pip,” Alex laughed. He was sat on the couch with Eliza and John on either side of him. John was on the way to being drunk and was having a grand time playing with Alex’s hair. “Have you tried them?”

“No, Daddy!” Philip looked horrified. “They’re snails!”

“They’re very tasty, Pip,” Eliza chuckled. “You should try them.”

“But they’re _snails_!” Philip looked over at her, eyes wide as he climbed into her lap. “Snails aren’t food!”

“I suppose,” Eliza said, wrapping an arm around his waist before reaching down and taking one of the pieces of escargot off his plate and eating it. Philip gasped, looking up at her with astonishment and horror. 

“Eliza!” He gasped, drawing the attention of some of the others. 

“Delicious,” Eliza laughed, pressing a kiss to the top of Philip’s head. Philip shook his head before wriggling out of her lap and running off to find some food he actually liked. 

“You’re very good with him,” Alex said softly to her, looking over at Eliza with warm eyes. 

“He’s a great kid,” Eliza said, leaning in and kissing Alex softly. 

“Have you ever thought of having your own kids?” Alex asked, taking Eliza’s hand and squeezing it gently. 

“I’ve considered it,” she said softly. “But I want to focus on my career for now.”

“Do you want kids, John?” Alex asked, turning to John who startled a bit at being addressed. He had been lost in his own little world while putting small braids into Alex’s hair. 

“What?” He asked, frowning a bit as he tried to figure out what Alex asked him.

“Do you want kids?” Alex repeated, an amused smile spreading across his lips. 

John shrugged, “I’ve never really thought about it. But maybe someday. And I mean there’s Philip and he’s pretty fucking great.”

Alex beamed, tangling a hand in John’s hair and pulling him in for a kiss. John hummed, kissing him back deeply as he shifted closer to Alexander. 

“Daddy! Daddy!” Philip called, interrupting their kiss. Alex pulled away and looked over to where Philip was sitting on top of Hercules’ shoulders, beaming at Alexander from across the room. “Come dance with us!”

Alex laughed, giving Eliza and John each a quick kiss before standing and moving over to his son. 

**Author's Note:**

> [My tumblr](http://www.isnonstop.tumblr.com) if you want to talk.


End file.
